Monday, January 14, 2008
Green Gourmet (Asian)
Wonton noodle soup
Sweet chilli/honey potatoes
Mango soy icecream
Hurricanes Grill & Bar
Telephone: (02) 9130 7101 - bookings recommended
Trading hours:
Open 7 nights - 6pm dinner
12pm lunch Sundays only
Website: http://www.hurricanesgrill.com.au/
Note: There is also another branch in Darling Harbour, Sydney. Please see website for details.
Hurricanes is arguably the best place in Sydney for BBQ pork ribs. I'm personally not too impressed with the dim lighting where you can't see your dinner date clearly, or your food in all its glory, but the taste definitely makes up for that.
I do forewarn that the food takes between 30-60 minutes preparation and cooking time - if you get bored enough you can walk up and watch them smoke up some dishes in the windowed cooking area.
Bookings are essential to avoid disappointment (but even when you book you could be asked to wait "at the bar" for a couple of minutes) as I rarely see this restaurant with no queues on any given night.
Upon ordering, the first thing served is a complementary fresh, crusty bread roll, served on a wooden board and all (I'm sold by gimmicks).
Below: by the time I took this photo, my eating buddies had already taken a rib out of this plate. These are the BBQ pork ribs - a half rack serve (which is already huge). Their secret, I believe, lies in their smokey BBQ rib sauce... finger lickin'!
Below: Garlic beef burger, served with baked potato/chives/cream. The waiter actually asked us how we wanted the patty cooked - yes I didn't believe minced beef patties could be cooked differently but they can! We ordered medium which was a safe bet. And low and behold - it came out medium! You can be suprised how wrong some restaurants can get "medium" - but this came out dry and brown (no blood) enough to be medium and slightly pink in the middle without giving us food poisining. Garlic sauce is served on the side (so you can control how many packets of gum you will have to chew after the meal, hehe) with the salad and the bun-top. Filling & tasty!
Other noteables:Peri Peri Chicken - This was actually my favourite dish of the night. I am not a big red meat eater, I tend to feel sick and it doesn't motivate me at all because its often too chunky for my liking. So we ordered a half of this Peri-Peri Chicken (you can order half or a full chicken). I expected a barbeque chicken with Nandos-esque peri-peri sauce to come out - boy was I wrong - and glad to be! Hurricanes have definitely formulated their own take on peri-peri and I have never been happier to be proved wrong. The sauce was a delightful combination between chilli and barbeque - it held the same "hurricanes rib sauce" feel to it. Chicken could have been slightly more tender, but the sauce is pretty good that it does the job perfectly.
Some of my friends have complained about the service of this place - truth be told most of the waiters are probably backpackers from around the globe trying to make ends meet - but don't go in there expecting star-class treatment. The expected waiting time for food is printed on the menu, so if you read this before you go, don't go after not having eaten for 10 hours because there's not much they can do to make the food come out faster (unless its a salad or something).
Located in a prime location (right off Bondi Beach and cafe strip), it's a great destination for meat lovers, tourist friends and a heart dinner.
Hurricanes' success has led to an offshoot to their original business - the
HURRICANE’S EXPRESS TAKE-AWAY - BONDI BEACH. I've never personally been there, but it's located right next to the restaurant at Bondi Beach and looks like it's open at all hours if you are in need of a rib-fix. Not such a bad idea!
Max Brenner
Phone Number: +61 2 9283 1802
Opening Hours:
Mon-Wed & Fri – 9:30am – 5:30pm
Thurs 9:30am – 8:30pm
Sat 9:00am – 5:30pm
Sun 10:00am – 5:30pm
Locations in Sydney also at: Wynyard (CBD), Erina, Manly, Paddington, Parramatta, St Ives - most of which are open till late
Website: http://www.maxbrenner.com/branches.html
US Drink Menu: http://www.maxbrenner.com/menus/menus_usa/drink.pdf
US Sweets Menu: http://www.maxbrenner.com/menus/menus_usa/sweet.pdf
The American menu does differ greatly from our menu, a lot of the things they have aren't offered in Australia, and vice versa (due to suppliers, probably).
Back in the Chocolate-cafe days, when Lindt Cafe ruled the scene, Sydney thought it was in for a treat. And then came Max Brenner.
This place is always buzzing, in every store I've been to - I think it's the mix of ambience, mood and of course, great-tasting chocolate.
In this particular trip, I tried the Mocha with Milk Chocolate and it must have been the best Mocha I've ever had! I guess with usual coffee places, the chocolate used is usually a syrup (some festy chocolate milkshake syrup which never blends properly) or a hot chocolate powder (never sweet enough) - so when they actually use real molten chocolate, it makes all the difference... I was in bliss while I embraced my "hug mug" and seriously having a foodgasm moment...
Above: Unique "hug mug" design - an egg-shaped handleless mug. Drink via the spout and hold with both hands around the rounded-edge. Doubles as a hand warmer!Below: Belgian Waffle with strawberries - the texture of these are simply devine! Soft on the inside, and crunch of the outside is superb, and the chocolate sauce is just bliss.
Highlights:Milk Chocolate Suckao (also available in white and dark chocolate) - refer to page 3 of 10 in drink.pdf: "a do-it-yourself concentrated hot chocolate shot" - you get a small plate of chocolate chips, a small jug of creamy milk, and this porcelain candle holder with metal cup that holds milk over a tealight. It also comes with a thin metal spatula for you to stir & melt the chocolate chips in the milk - which cleverly doubles as a straw. Great for people like me, who complain hot chocolate is not thick enough, but Italian Hot Chocolate (at Max Brenner) too thick - now you can customise the consistency yourself! And it is heavenly!
Orange Peel Hot Chocolate - can't remember the exact name, but it is a thinner hot chocolate beverage, with a hint of orange. For those who seek adventure, but don't want anything too heavy - this is a light, fragrant drink.
Strawberry Dip - whole strawberries served on a plate with chocolate dip. For those who are not into cakes/pastries, this is the ultimate seduction - I held off trying not to lick the plate and chocolate sauce holder...
Chocolate Cinnamon Babka - If asked my favourite type of chocolate cake, this would be it. It is in between a muffin & cake, layers of dense spongyness scrolled up with swirls of chocolate and sprinkles of cinnamon. Naturally, everything goes better with chocolate sauce....
The Dessert Factory (Gold Coast) - Closed
Opening Hours: Mon-Sat 7am-6pm
Address: Meriton Building (Cnr Elizabeth Ave & Surf Pde), Shop 1, 2669 Gold Coast Hwy, BROADBEACH QLD 4218
Phone: 07 5538 3111
Web: http://twitter.com/MmeGrenouille
Old post on Dessert Factory:
This cake-tartlet-mousse joint is SUPERB!
I cannot get enough of their Blackforest Cake (their signature cake) - I haven't had such good blackforest cake since my birthday in 2005! I think the secret is the fact the base is like a chocolate mousse - the every bite is like a perfect infusion of flavour! You need to have all their cakes fresh though (i.e. same day), especially with blackforest because most use a liquor with dampens sponge cake to make it soggy.
Here is a photo of the fruit tart (I've never tried it but I am informed it is fresh and absolutely divine):
With this cake, I didn't quite catch the name of it but it is like a chocolate-mousse custard filled mini profiterole with toffee and slivered almond on top. I've never been a fan of custard (in fact I resent the stuff) BUT this was tolerable - the chocolate mousse, texture of and crunch of toffee was just too incredible to resist.
They have many more desserts on offer, too many for me to sample on each trip I make to the Gold Coast (especially when you're supposed to save your stomach space for lunch or dinner). The beauty of these cakes is that everything is not too sweet - everything is finetuned to provide a fine balance between taste, texture and portion size.
Koi Lounge (Gold Coast)
Tel: (07) 5570 3060
Open: 7am to 11pm
I really do like this place, the Gold Coast vibe is evident and the food is a lot less seedy than what you get in the nearby surrounding cafes.
Although my recent visit has been a little disappointing - they abandoned the fruit mocktail I came for (summer breeze or called something to that effect) and replaced it with some heavier fruit mocktails. Decided to give them a go anyway:
Above: Lychee - very sour, icy fruity drink and more reminscent of lemon sorbet than anything to do with lycheeBelow: Strawberry shortcake - faint banana taste, very fruity and not as heavy as it looks
Below: Chicken asparagus risotto - a fragrant risotto with a wild tasting mushroom, special oil, basil leaves? and lots of flavour
Above: Funky Chicken Pizza - almost tastes like a stirfry, fresh vegies and they are not stingy with the topping.
Mitzu (Japanese Sushi bar)
Tel: (02) 9887 2988
Mitzu is one of my favourite sushi bars in Sydney after Makoto City (Pitt St, Sydney).
The primary reason for this is that alongside to traditional sushi & sashimi favourites, they also specialise in inside-out sushi rolls and not afraid to innovate and experiment with different ingredient combinations.
Above: Chicken Katsu inside-out sushi rolled in black sesameBelow: Cooked tuna with avocado inside-out sushi rolled in white sesame
Below: Chicken (or pork) katsu with avocado inside-out sushi rolled in shredded seaweed
Above: cooked crab/prawn inside out sushi with mixed vegetables, shredded seaweed and flaky bits from soft-shell crabBelow: Crabstick, mayo & avocado inside-out sushi rolled in cornmeal
Miss Saigon (Vietnamese) Restaurant
Phone: (02) 9585 0068
Recommendations:
Vietnamese beef salad - onion, thinly sliced beef, cucumber, peanut, fried onion garnish, lemon-esque dressing
Tomato broth noodle soup with vermicelli
Vietnamese (deep fried) spring rolls
Bun Bo Hue
Swiss Quattro Woodfired Pizza Restaurant
Phone: (02) 9544 7711
Swiss Quattro and Crust Pizza are both fighting for the #1 place for best pizza, but I think everytime I revisit the Chilli Prawn Pizza here, Swiss Quattro always comes out victorious.
For a handmade, thinnish crust - it comes out crispy yet soft & fluffy on the inside everytime.
They use fresh ingredients and a careful mix to create a light and tasty pizza.
Recommendations: #38 Chilli Prawn pizza with chilli prawns, spanish onions, roasted capsicum, garlic, shallots & fresh herbs (pictured below)
Ya Hoo (Malaysian)
Phone (07) 3805 8333
Recommendations:
Mains - cereal prawn (one in the main NOT the entree - because you'll get prawn toast), fish curry, fantasy pork, indonesian fried rice (gado gado? Had some funny name I can't remember)
ChiangMai Thai
Phone: (07) 5538 2144
Recommendations:
Entree - tom kar gai (soup)
Mains - garlic pork, red duck curry + coconut rice is a MUST!
Tuesday, January 8, 2008
Luneburger (German Bakery)
Tel: (02) 9264 2377
Fax: (02) 9264 2399
I go to the one in Macquarie Shopping Centre, North Ryde NSW (Near Herring Rd entrance) Tel: (02) 9889 4774
I'll give it to the girls (and boys) who work there. In the whole shopping centre, they were the only food service place open (other than McDonalds') at 8am, and they also close after 5pm - so they definitely rake in the business - and for good reason because the baked goodies are fantastic!
Website: http://www.luneburger.com.au/
I am currently addicted to these sandwich rolls - I usually get the Pumpkin seed ham salad roll with butter... everything about it is so well-rounded, the 'bite' of the sliced cheese, the lettuce (I think they use cos lettuce - the purpley tinge one), tomato, cucumber and slices of meat.
There are also a variety of seeded and unseeded rolls (check website), rolls filled with pesto instead of butter, no butter, pastrami, salami, or just salad.
I have a lot of respect for the bread they make - when you look inside, you can see the seeds and grains run all through it, making it a tasty, 'flavoured' bread - giving your ordinary sandwich an instant upgrade.
Tried the sweet pastries for the first time today (after daily purchases of the sandwich rolls), namely the chocolate croissant. Two words - PURE SEX. At a glance, The croissant looks like any other, in fact I was a bit disappointed that it wasn't curved into a horseshoe (true croissants in my mind have always been curved!) and did not look worth the $3.00 I was about to part with. As soon as I bit into it, I knew I was wrong. The chocolate, was not your typical 1cm wide measly strip of chocolate hardly detectable by the human tongue, there was a decent slab of chocolate in there. But it wasn't even the generosity of the chocolate (they don't fill the whole thing with chocolate, but it was generous and balanced in the whole scheme of things), it was the taste! The chocolate was rich, semi-bitter - not your average "cadbury's"-more-sugar-than-cocoa type - it was just simply divine!To be reviewed: The Apple Rhubarb Strudel (See below)
Saturday, January 5, 2008
Lowenbrau Keller (Bavarian) Restaurant
Phone: (02) 9247 7785
Fax: (02) 9241 1613
Website: http://www.lowenbrau.com.au/
Opening Hours: 7 days 9am til late, live entertainment every night from 7pm
Late night dining: Late night menu available every Friday and Saturday 11pm til 2am.
Mains: ~$35
Dessert: ~$10
The calamari was lightly battered, with salt and a sprinkle of chilli flakes. Typically, many places serve this dish with a tartare or sweet chilli sauce, however in this case it was a sweet passionfruit sauce. One would assume that passionfruit is solely reserved for dessert, but this combination was suprisingly delightful.
For the main, ordered one of the house specials: the Schlachtplatte - Löwenbräu's Selection of Bavarian Specialities – Sausages, Chicken Schnitzel, Roast Pork Belly Served with Mashed Potato and Sauerkraut (directly copied from their website, which was directly copied from their menu).
This platter serves 2, and in addition to the assortment of meats mentioned above, we were also able to sample the pork knuckle and a cheese-filled sausage. Other condiments included but not mentioned is the finely sliced onion and the boat of gravy.
The meat on the pork knuckle was extremely tender, however the thickened skin in the outer layer was a bit too salty for my liking. Pork Belly was also another house favourite, except by the end of the night - all meat begins to taste the same.
Strangely enough, the only thing I really managed to enjoy was the potato mash. It was light & fluffy, slightly herbed with a tinge of garlic to taste. I must admit, it's one of the best I've had, in light of everything else I ate tonight - but I won't say the BEST just yet. The problem with many potato mashes' is when you don't pay enough attention to it, one flavour (e.g. garlic or the cream) can be too overpowering, or simply the potato is not blended properly (chunky) and becomes too heavy for the meal.
It was definitely a different experience - from the friendly, themed waitresses & waiters to the live band, dancing, beer-guzzling competitions, shots being served on this long-wooden-stick "tray", bucks' night going on in the background, and just-the-right-lighting to set the mood for getting wasted on 'bier'. Because it is a German-esque eatery, the beer culture is prominent and here is the place to be for those 1/2 litre glasses, jugs and what not. I don't drink so can't tell you about the standard of beer. It is a loud & happening place - so save the deep & meaningful conversations until you're outside.
You'd probably also want to book in advance to save dissappointment because it does get quite busy, and the last thing you want to do is leave your missus out waiting in the rain.
I'd probably come back more for novelty's sake rather than for craving a particular dish. It is definitely a worthwhile experience to soak up the atmosphere.
Note: I wrote this blog once, just to have blogger freeze so this is the second grumpy edition. Please also excuse my poor photography skills - it was taken in a dimly lit room with the 1.3 megapixel camera on my mobile telephone. I am not a food photographer but I'm guessing people generally like to put pictures to words.
Cafe Chantellina
Phone: (02) 9540 5733
Fax: (02) 9540 5799
Alice's (Malaysian)
Phone: (02) 9484 8288
Website: www.aliceskuih.com.au
Opening hours:
Tuesday to Sunday: 11:30am-3pm
Batavia
Phone: (07) 3844 4694
The Spice Avenue Balti Restaurant (Indian)
Phone: (07) 3822 9822
Website: www.thespiceavenue.com.au (link doesn't work, checked 2/8/08)
At the time I took these photos, it was the second time I had gone to this place. The vibe of the restaurant is always buzzing, waiters are warm, smiling & friendly (and can actually describe to you what dish is what, often necessary when ordering ethnic dishes) and the food is superb everytime!
From what I hear, Balti is a unique UK-Indian style of cooking. There are only 2 of these restaurants in the world - the UK and strangely - Brisbane, Queensland.
I ordered pappadams and I assume these condiments were the companion: the left green sauce tasted like a cross between a mint/cucumber yoghurt (very refreshing) and on the right, a watery hot-chilli chutney.
Below: The famous Butter Chicken, Balti-Style! This is absolutely awesome, as you can see the colour is slightly less orange compared to most butter chicken dishes abundant at generic Indian eateries - and the key ingredient is that they add ALMONDS (and possibly other goodies). The taste is definitely different, butter chicken plus more! It comes in its unique "wok" so doesn't look like its been poured out of a giant vat out the back somewhere.
You have to order rice and other stuff on the side, but I actually prefer naan bread to go with curries. The rice never seems to do it justice - just absorbs all the liquid and fills up your stomach too quickly!Naan bread (pictured below) here is warm and soft, with a sprinkling of what looks like black sesame seeds (but aren't because the seeds are much more fragrant) throughout the bread. Comes in all varieties - plain (for those who want the focus to be on the main dish, and the naan to be the testing ground), garlic, cheese and other exotic varieties I haven't been able to sample just yet. The naan bread with herbs/cheese/garlic is recommended if you want to eat the bread as a side, or if you want to enhance the flavour experience of the main.
Above: Because the retarded link does not work, I was unable to locate the exact name of the featured dish. This was a smokin' (and spicy) sizzling dish - just as the waiter described as "fantastic presention" because it seemed to capture the attention of onlookers of the tables not-so-far-away. Chicken meat (not dry, very moist), mushrooms, green peppers/capsicum, onion - a stirfy made with chilli/curry powder. Very hot!
This place is suitable for an intimate dinner for two, but also great for larger parties around the 10-person mark. Probably a better experience if you can get more of your friends together and order a whole heap of dishes - to sample everything! Don't be afraid to chat up the waiters and ask them for a recommendation - I haven't had or seen any bad experiences so there is definitely a dish to suit the tastes of the non-spice eater to those with bowels of steel.
Gallery Cafe (Tweed River Art Gallery)
Phone: (02) 6672 5088
Opening Hours:
Wed-Sun: 10am-5pm
Churrasco (Brazilian style BBQ)
Phone: (02) 9665 6535
Fax: (02) 9665 6510
Website: www.churrasco.com.au
Flower Drum (Cantonese Chinese) Restaurant
Phone: (03) 9662 3655
Fax: (03) 9663 5199
This is by far the BEST Chinese restaurant I've ever been to. Their philosophy is quality, not quantity and I think that it displays Cantonese (usually oily and too filling) cuisine at its finest.
Apparently bookings are hard to come by, so book in advance. I've only had lunch there because I couldn't be bothered with dinner bookings (rumours have it that you can expect to wait for 3 months for a table!), and it is actually quite pricey compared to other Chinese restaurants.
Flower Drum is situated in an Alleyway off Little Bourke St, the heart of Chinatown in Melbourne. A painted red door signals you have reached the right place.
As you enter, someone will greet you and press the lift button for you to enter the restaurant. It is elevated, and feels like you're in a HK triad movie, or Bruce Lee movie, or something.
The interior is spacious and tastefully decorated. Men in suits and communicable English greet you. They even knew my first name - for I had a booking.
Ordered the set menu. Normally $120 per person, special price, $60 per head. 4 Courses.
The set menu had changed since the last time I was there - namely I was there for a particular crab meat dumpling.
So I ordered an extra 4-piece dumpling set consisting of:
Above: Dim Sim (LHS) with pork and prawn filling wrapped in wonton soft pastry. On the RHS, Vegetarian dumpling wrapped in a thin rice pastry.
Below: On the left, a Chicken dumpling and RHS Prawn dumpling - both wrapped in a thin, soft rice pastry.
Pictured Below: So commences the Set Menu. Sang Choi Bow - a lettuce leaf 'cup' filled with a stirfry of meat (possibly pork & duck), shallots, soy sauce and some other condiments. To be eaten all-in-one, this was absolutely divine. Perfect fusion of flavours, sealed with the crisp crunch and lightness of lettuce.
Still I was not satisfied. Where had that crab meat dumpling gone from the set menu before? The waiter informs me that they rotate the items on the set menu regularly. But I can still order the crab meat dumpling. So I did:
Pictured above: Crab Meat Dumpling - ordered individually at $8 a pop. Pure bliss I assure you, as real crab meat is extracted and steamed in this delicacy wrapped in a thin, soft rice pastry. To be eaten with ginger shreds immersed red vinegar - a perfect complimentary and smooth flavour combination.
Below: You can see the slivers of crab meat - not some nasty crabstick BS.
Below: Some battered and fried fish with asparagus. On the RHS, a light lemon sauce or salt & pepper mix can be sprinkled over fish. This was part of the set-menu, but really nothing special at all.
I forgot to mention that each dish has its special presentation and takes about 3 people to bring it to your table. Excessive double-handling but nevertheless denotes the effort and care taken. The service is impeccable here might I mention - staff always attentive to see if your teacup is full (usually its like drawing blood from stone trying to get a waiter at a Chinese restaurant to fill up your teapot which has been empty for half an hour), always willing to answer questions and fulfill requests.
Above: This was the set-up for the Peking Duck. The pastry is a small, circle of thin pastry made with flour, and kept warm in this bamboo steamer you see on the RHS, over a fire. The plates are also pre-warmed so as not to spoil the pastry & duck dish.
Below: Peking Duck wrapped in pastry - with plum sauce, a sprig of shallot and slice of cucumber. This is a traditional lavish dish originating from mainland China, and having being appropriated in Cantonese cuisine. Only the top layer of meat of the duck is used for this dish, as it contains a crispy skin from the roast duck, a thin layer of fat, and the tenderest meat. The rest of the duck is usually carved up and used in the filling of a Sang Choi Bow or some fried rice.
Hence only 2-3 pieces are served to each person.
Below: Another stand-out classic - Szechaun Beef, with special fried rice (pictured on the right).
At this stage I was bursting at the seems and starting to get dellusional from being so full, but this Szechaun beef is magnificent. Made of eye fillet, the steak is char-grilled on both sides, so the outside is charred & crispy, while the inside remains pink & tender. The meat is then sliced into bite sized pieces for your perusal.
What makes the Szechaun beef, Szechaun is the sauce. Traditional Szechaun dishes are fiery, potent chilli dishes. This is a mildly spicy liquid sauce (looks like sweet chilli but not sweet) drizzled over the steak, and served with steamed & tossed green vegetables.
Bourke St Bakery Cafe
633 Bourke St SURRY HILLS NSW
Shop 130 Broadway CHIPPENDALE NSW
474 Gardeners Rd ALEXANDRIA NSW
Phone (Alexandria): (02) 8339 1001
CECI Korean Restaurant
Phone: (02) 9746 7710
Had a late lunch here on a lovely Sunday afternoon. It was boiling hot weather, and I don't know what enticed me to eat chilli but I hadn't had Korean food in weeks and was craving spicy dumplings!
Ceci is a Korean restaurant/cafe with a wide, WIDE selection of dishes. You will know either from looking at their picture menu outside which consists of over 50 dishes I'm sure. The specialise in chilli soup, stirfry dishes & mains, and just bits and pieces of Korean Cuisine. The main selling point here is that most dishes are $10-$15, quite generous servings, and the standardised korean entree dishes are a bonus.
Pictured above is the standardised korean entree dishes provided. They are of course free of charge, and offered to every customer unless you specifically request so. The top dish is a sugared potato salad dish (It tastes as though a combination of soy sauce and sugar is used), then you have kim chi (Korean pickled cabbage - chilli) and marinated soya sprouts (light & refreshing). They also give you one more - chesnut jelly: a grey jelly with sesame & chilli flakes/oil. I specifically requested not to have the chesnut jelly because it's a waste for it to sit on my table because I won't eat it.
This is one of the mains we ordered - spicy BBQ chicken. It is a stirfy made with chilli flakes, onion, shallot, mushroom and strips of chicken. I really enjoy digging for the mushroom. This is a fragrant dish, served with white rice as featured and fairly hot/chilli. I suspect the sauce is made from the same base as the spicy dumplings (see below).
The spicy dumpling dish consists of 6 extra-large dumplings. They are a savoury fried pastry filled with a combination of clear vermicelli noodle, finely sliced carrot, pork mince, shallot and perhaps some other vegetable. The filling is almost reminiscent of a Vietnamese spring roll. Dumplings are then topped with a potent chilli sauce consisting of chopped shallot, fresh chilli and sesame seeds. The texture is just right - since the dumpling is fried, the outer edges are crisp & hardened, the centre soft and the chilli sauce - just devine.
I washed my meal down with an iced plum tea - strange I know. I have a penchant for sour, bitter things, so don't try this unless you're a fan of things like grapefruit, kumquat or bitter citrus-y drinks.
My secret to eating chilli is drinking milk or dairy beverages to neutralize the chilli. So, if you're worried about not being able to handle chilli food - you can try that trick: Ceci's has an assortment of iced beverages (e.g. iced strawberry, iced chocolate, iced coffee) and sundae/desserts on offer. Don't let this put you off though - there is also a wide selection of non-chilli dishes there too. Not all Korean food is hot!
Other recommendations:
Chicken Ginseng Soup -
Chilli soup with ham/sausage -
Sweet & spicy (fried) chicken -
Kim Chi pie -
(Honey?) Potato -
Potato Noodle -
Chong Qing Hot Pot Chinese Restaurant
Phone: (02) 9585 0598
Opening Hours:
Mon-Fri: 5pm - 10pm
Sat & Sun: 12pm - 10pm
Caffe Gasparo
Phone: (02) 9744 7371
Fax: (02) 9747 8468
Opening Hours:
Mon-Sat: 8am -11pm
Sun: 9am - 11pm
Bellissimo Wood-fired Pizza & Pasta
Phone: (02) 9753 4030
Habib's Charcoal Chicken
Phone: (02) 9708 2219
Fax: (02) 9708 3223
Opening hours: Mon-Sat: 10am -12am Sun: 10am - 10pm
OK - try to take the name of this restaurant seriously for a minute. It is a casual dining, semi-fast food charcoal chicken shop - with a twist. The twist is that the Lebanese like to eat their chicken with flat pieces of Lebanese bread, pickles and the famous HABIB's garlic sauce.
How to eat Lebanese Chicken (my bro's Leb friend taught him like this):Step 1: Peel slice of Lebansese bread in half, and then half again. Use this piece of bread to pull the meat off chicken.
Step 2: Roll up your chicken-wrapped-in-bread and dip in garlic sauce.
Garlic sauce has quite a pungent smell, is milky in colour - but the flavour is quite complementary to the harshness of the charcoal chicken. The only warning I have for you is that should you wish to take a serving home, don't eat it the next day because the garlic sauce will taste completely different (it needs to be fresh).
The other heads up I'll also give you is, garlic sauce is great if you fight vampires for a living, but if you wanted to be in the presence of another human being, also better to carry with you at least 2 packets of gum to chew because you will have a lingering garlic sauce aftertaste in your mouth for the next 24 hours.
Friday, January 4, 2008
Welcome to a new culinary experience - fooodgasm.
The vast majority of these featured restaurants are situated in Sydney, Australia. Occasionally when I feel sick of this hellhole I will bite the bullet and venture out of the region and include insights on my food travels there.
I am a firm believer of "only speak if you have something nice to say or positive to contribute" so there will be no dissing, or bad reviews as such. I truly believe that bad service, and bad food will finally catch up with these bad restaurants, so I'll just let them suffer their comeuppance.
I don't wish to save the world, or offer world peace - but my only hope is that those who stumble across this blog will (if not already) share the love for food.
I will end this annoying introductory blog with this one quote:
"There are 2 types of people in this world: those that eat to live, and those that live to eat."
My plan for world domination is to convert more people into the latter category =D
Sit back, pat your gut, and enjoy!