La Paula (Chilean Cake Shop & Bakery)

Address: Shop 1, 9 Barbara St, Fairfield NSW (Also shop at Kingsford)
Tel: 02 9726 2379

Opening times: Mon - Sat 7am - 7pm
Sun 7am -5pm



"A Chilean cake shop and bakery that specialises in Spanish style pies and pastries ("empanadas") of very good quality. The other specialities are very good too."

Wagamama Noodle Bar

Address: The Galeries Victoria, level 1, 500 George St, Sydney
Phone : (02) 9264 9155
Website: www.wagamama.com.au


Pictured below: Wagamama Ramen - noodles in a vegetarian soup topped with seasonal greens, wakame, sliced chicken, grilled seasonal fish, fried tofu, prawn, marinated and grilled mushroom and kamaboko-aka. garnished with menma and spring onions

Below: Chicken katsu curry - chicken fillet deep-fried in panko breadcrumbs, served with a light curry sauce and japanese-style rice. garnished with a combination of mixed leaves and red pickles.
Verdict: I'm going to be perfectly honest here. The Wagamama Ramen was the worst $18 I've spent on a bowl of noodles, and made snap-frozen Lean Cuisine meals taste gourmet.

Although a good concept (health & cleanliness), I really think that overexpansion has really let this franchise down.

The staff were extremely attentive & friendly, but it really didn't make up for the bland-tasting food. I was full, but not satisfied. Could also be to do with the years' of killing my tastebuds with chilli, but this is definitely a white-washed interpretation of Japanese food that receives a miss.

Tart Cafe

Address: 106 Erskineville Road Erskineville, NSW

Tel:

Big bowls of cafe latte, fresh juices and passing foot traffic - Tart Cafe is a nice, quiet getaway.

It's literally situated behind the hustle-and-bustle of King St, Newtown - with homestyle meals and a friendly atmosphere.

Pictured below: Caffe Latte in a bowl

Below: Beef Nachos - I am totally addicted to this: ingredients are fresh, combine well and not overly oily. Baby Spinach leaves garnished on the top make a fantastic addition and the avocado dip is something special! Best nachos I've had to date!

Bagan On Boulevarde (Burmese Restaurant)

Address: Shop 4/41 The Boulevarde, Strathfield NSW 2135
Tel: (02) 8746 0666
Email: eat_bagan@yahoo.com.au
Trading hours: Lunch & Dinner, 7 days


Burmese food is what I would call a fusion between Vietnamese, Chinese and Indian cuisine. The love of chilli and spices is evident across all three cultures and this is none the different.


Pictured above: A three-word Salad that I can't remember the name of. Consists of tomato, various nuts & beans which have been roasted, dried and fried, shredded lettuce, fresh chilli and other herbs & spices. A lighter and savoury alternative. Entree sized - varying nuts & roasted beans give this salad a unique crunch and texture.

Pictured below: The Grapefruit Salad. Couldn't taste an inkling of grapefruit anywhere, but this is another interesting dish. Not overly large in size, it consists of spanish red onions (very strong flavour, even a little on the bitter side), curry powder, shallot/lemongrass, nuts, and maybe a meat. It certainly had a tang to it, but really different from anything I've ever tried. It's like a curry-salad.

Below: Pork Slice Garlic Noodle. The noodles on this are inbetween wavy wanton egg noodles and rice noodles found in pho. The perfect intermediary, laced with a light garlic buttery sauce (similar taste & texture to the bed of noodles served underneath a ginger & shallot lobster, Cantonese style). The sliced pork pieces are marinated and seem to come from like a knuckle area, with solid meat pieces and a trim of fat.

Below: Mango Curry - Extremely tender stewed beef pieces in a semi-sweet mango curry sauce. The Burmese tend to use the fat from meat and incorporate it into the curry which gives the curry more density and flavour.

I'm a fan of spice, and the potent flavours of South-East Asian cooking. The good thing about this restaurant is that they give you the option to add spice or to leave mild (unspiced). The staff are attentive, and the price is ridiculously reasonable. As my friend put it, its like they forgot to account for the rent when calculating the price of their dishes.

Pastizzi Cafe (Maltese)

Address: 523 King St, Newtown NSW 2042
Ph: 02 9519 1063
Fax: 02 9519 1064
Email: pastizzicafe@bigpond.com

*** There are no EFTPOS facilities here. Cash ONLY.

Pastizzi is a traditional Maltese pastry, usually filled with Ricotta or Peas (description shamelessly stolen off wikipedia). The pastry is a thin, flaky puff pastry, hardened on the outermost layer for added texture.

This cafe serves several sweet & savoury varieties, and at $1.60 each (cooked) they are definitely worth a stopover for if you're in Newtown.

You can also buy them frozen in batch quantities for your own reheating. They also sell home-made desserts and sweet pastries.

Below: Chicken & Mushroom Pastizzi

Below: Lentil Pastizzi

Penne Arrabiatta Pasta (pictured below): Fresh herbs, proper tomato pasta sauce which 'hugs' the penne, and a tomato-chilli 'zing'. At $10, there is not much more you could ask for!

Chicken, Mushroom and Pinenut Risotto in a Pink Sauce (pictured below) : This special is so special, its not on the menu or specials menu. It was a recommendation by the waitress when asked for her opinion of the cafes' 'signature dish'. I have always been a skeptic of "pink sauces" (what the hell is a cross between napoletana & cream sauce anyway!) but this has definitely changed my mind. Once again, fresh herbs, slow-cooked & textured rice in a flavoursome sauce. I've also added chilli flakes in this photo. The pinenuts were a pleasant and very complimentary addition to the risotto dish, not bitter at all (sometimes when pinenuts are not used suitably in cooking the overall flavour of the dish becomes bitter).

Below: Marinara Spaghetti - a glorious non-fishy tasting seafood spaghetti, and tastes even better the next day reheated (couldn't finish, very generous serving) after the seafood had more time to marinate in the sauce and really 'stick' to the pasta.

Home-made lasagne (pictured below): I am a real sucker for lasagne, not the most tasteful Italian dish, but a proper one can be absolute heaven in carbohydrate form. This one was more liquidy than most, reminded me more of a casserole dish than of a lasagne, but nevertheless palatable and on par with everything else served at Pastizzi (i.e. good).

Definitely a repeat eatery - fresh, generous servings of mains and always a variety of nibbles on offer!

Radii Restaurant

Address: Park Hyatt Melbourne, 1 Parliament Place East Melbourne
Phone: (03) 9224 1211
Website: http://www.radiirestaurant.com.au/

This is a nice restaurant with a funky, haphazard seating layout and fantastic service. Their kitchen is open, so you can walk past and eyeball the chefs' preparing your meal with fresh ingredients.

Appetizer/Soups

Pictured below: Mushroom soup with truffle oil and sauteed wild mushroom. This was a suprisingly good soup - the taste was just perfect, not too creamy, could taste the mushroom and those red herbs in the middle (looked like saffron) gave it added texture. Bellissimo! P.S. don't mind the blue tinge in the plates & food - it is a reflection from the ceiling.

From the Wood fire Oven: Corn-fed chicken breast, soft polenta, garlic spinach with madeira sauce (pictured below). This was my main and it was AMAZING! I ate everything on the plate and was tempted to lick it clean... the oven-baked chicken was obviously brushed with a marinate beforehand, giving it a light & crispy coating. The breast fillet was succulent - together with the spinach, polenta & sauce - heaven!

Main Course: Chorizo, calamari and saffron risotto (pictured below). This was not my main, but I was tempted to order it. The chorizo was kind of soggy and I really think there was too many fats & oils for a risotto which should really be light & fluffy with a flavoursome sauce base. The calamari did give an interesting texture to the risotto, and saffron added an aroma.

Dessert: Chestnut and chocolate truffle cake with marscapone cream (pictured below). A very interesting chocolate dish. The taste is almost like a bitter chocolate, the chestnut definitely changes and tampers with the conventional cocoa taste. It is only a small serve, and for good reason - but made fresh and definitely worth a try if you are not into your painstakingly-sweet chocolate desserts.

It is always a gamble with restaurants at hotels - even though it might be a 4 or 5 star hotel, the corresponding restaurants could always be a mile off, or nothing special at all. Dining at Radii was actually a real pleasure, the food was fresh, amalgamation of flavours constant and thought put into each dish. Thumbs up!

MoVida (Bar De Tapas Y Vino) Spanish Restaurant

Address: 1 Hosier Lane, Melbourne VIC 3000

Reservations: (03) 9663 3038

Email: info@movida.com.au

Website: http://www.movida.com.au/

*** It is strongly recommended that you book this place before you go - at all hours of the day! There is limited table seating, and limited seating full-stop. I had to come back 3 times, and the staff are not afraid to treat you in a nasty manner if you don't have a reservation.

I was reading a Melbourne guide, and a hailed 'superchef' in Melbourne was interviewed and recommended MoVida for "The best Spanish restaurant in Australia".

Naturally I was curious because I have not had Spanish food properly (only Tapas in the Latin Quarter of Sydney, Liverpool St) so I needed a yardstick.

The first thing served to you is this bread and dipping oil (pictured below):

TAPAS: A single, small serving of 'entree'. You will need to order everything in multiple quantities if you are dining with others.

Above: Pollo Escabache Al Miguel - spiced chicken escabashe tapa on crisp crouton. Not all that spicy at all, the chicken is marinated in a creamy/mayonnaise sauce, with a tinge of lemon which gives it a mildly sour tang to taste. Very refreshing and good pre-emptive to the rest to follow...

Below: Viera, Jamon Y Espuma - half shell scallop oven baked with Jamon and potato foam. An awesome rendering of Scallop and topping. The white sauce you see is actually potato, so fine you think it's a cream sauce, but it is definitely a potato flavour! Scallop meat was cooked to perfection - not overcooked (which dries out the meat) and not undercooked (giving it a texture which doesn't allow your teeth to bite straight through). Simply divine.

Below: Costilla Con Sobrasada - roast lamb cutlet encased in Catalan pork and paprika pate.

A wholesome wad of meat right there. A little bit saltier than I would like, but the exterior has a slight crisp to the meat, and the green sauce is tangy and offsets it perfectly.

RACION: Small to medium-sized plates of "mains" - you will need to order a couple because they are still quite small.

Below: Chocos Con Garbanzos - pan seared cuttlefish with chickpeas, mint and tomato salad.

This was the recommendation. The marinated cuttlefish was nice and the salad with lemon juice gave it a nice 'zing' but nothing overly spectacular.

Below: Pork Belly (on Specials Menu). This is a fantastic dish - I always find pork belly to be a hit or miss. Sometimes it can be overcooked and too salty (German style) - but this rendition was highly textured and tasty, depending on which part you ate. The pork crackling is hard and crunchy, and the meat directly beneath it soft & tender. Toward the bottom of the piece, it looks like it has been cooked in a sweet soy-ish sauce which gives it extra flavour density.

Below: Monte Mar - spiced rabbit meatballs cooked with white wine and lemon myrtle sauce with prawns. I looked enviously over at the meatball on a nearby table and thought I'd give this a whirl. Gamey rabbit meat is offset by the use of raisins inside the meatball. Gives it a sweet flavour. It is a nice dish, however I personally am not a fan of game meat such as rabbit, venison and kangaroo.

This is a colourful restaurant, and seems to attract a lot of photographers because of the graffiti scene in the laneway outside. Grab a bar table, and watch the people go by, or lose yourself in the spray scene outside.

The Tea Room @ NGV

Address: Level 1, National Gallery of Victoria International, 180 St Kilda Rd Melbourne VIC

Trading hours: 10am-5pm (closed Tuesdays)

I am a real sucker for trendy tea places, and while at the NGV it was difficult not to stopover (since I was going to be there for hours).

Pictured below: A funky tea set...

I ate this phenomenal 'baked' sandwich: the Croque Monsieur. This is essentially a sandwich, with melted cheese & ham between 2 slices of white bread, topped with melted & hardened cheese on the outer layer. This simple culinary delight is baked in the oven for warmth & texture - I do have random cravings for it. It's like a warm, fresh cheese & bacon roll - only sandwich version and more tasty because of the proximity of flavours (Pictured below).

RP's Hungarian Pastry

Contact details:

Arpad Szalontai
Gabriella Meichl

(02) 9567 9640

Email: rpspastry@yahoo.com.au

I was visiting a fair and came across this Hungarian pastries stall. They claim to be made from organic ingredients. It doesn't appear they have a shopfront for this, so if you have run out of things to eat, you might want to give them a call or email and see where they will be next.

Below: Slice of some sort of cake/biscuit. On the left, walnut flavour. On the right, poppyseed flavour.

Below: Looks like a doughnut but it is actually non-oily. They make it by toasting dough on a rotating cylindrical steel rolling pin. Then they take it out of the oven, and dust with almond & sugar mix (also available in other flavours such as chocolate, hazelnut etc).

I really enjoyed the second pastry - the exterior is hard and cruncy, while the interior is white and fluffy. The best part is that it is not overly oily like a doughnut or pretzel. Very unique!

Palace Chinese Restaurant

Shop 38, Level 1 Piccadilly Tower, 133-145 Castlereagh St, Sydney
Phone: 02 9283 6288
Fax: 02 9283 6566

Website: www.palacechinese.com.au

Note: You can get all-day parking for $7 (enter from Castlereagh St) if you spend $40 or more - see website for full details.

I was taken here by my well-travelled friend (who also suggested Ramen Kan) for Yum Cha.

For those who are not familiar with the term, "Yum Cha" is a Cantonese (Chinese) phrase that literally translates to "drink tea".

Yum Cha is a broad term used to describe a brunch (usually served between 10am-mid afternoon) consisting of small trays/plates of appetisers ("dim sims"). It is an event for family members and friends to catch up and grab a bite to eat and usually consists of an extremely noisy environment where people sound as if they are arguing over the top of each other, and which could last for several hours.

Featured below are some of the savoury appetisers available:

Above: Dim Sims - pork, shrimp & vegetable dumplings wrapped in a soft & cooked noodle-esque pastry. Best eaten with chilli sauce.

Below: Vegetarian Spring Roll - unique textured soy-based pastry with vegetarian fillings usually consisting of soy-imitations of meat, shiitake mushrooms and other vegetables. This version at Palace is particularly tasty - you don't notice it is vegetarian at all! Best dipped in "gip jup" which is like a vinegary soy sauce.

Below: Duck & mushroom steamed dumplings - Not a lot of places make duck meat dumplings so I thought I would try here. The mushrooms they use are not shittake or button mushrooms, but those champignon mushrooms. The pastry is a thin, semi-translucent rice shell.

Below: Beef meatballs - I don't usually like these because some restaurants make it with too many shallots & chestnut which I dislike, but here the meat almost melts in your mouth! Best served with "gip jup" sauce as well.

Desserts: The normal Yum Cha savoury food is good, but quite generic at Palace. What makes them stand out, is the dessert!


Above: Tofu-fa - a smooth bean curd pudding with light sugar water to sweeten.

Below: (must try!!!) Lychee pudding - I am not usually a fan of pudding but I am totally sold on this one - there are actual lychee pieces in this pudding giving it a cool, refreshing taste and texture - coupled with sliced strawberries gives it a unique tang! The cream it is served with gives it a creamy, smooth flavour that is melt in your mouth...

Below: Mango pudding - which is really quite liquidy. Filled with decoco jelly, sago balls and other typical asian jelly concoctions.

Below: Chocolate mousse - a foodgasm delight! The chocolate flavour is rich, and not overly heavy or too sweet, and its fluffy texture is to die for.

Below: Strawberry mousse - not dissimilar from the chocolate mousse but definitely more fruity in flavour - tastes almost like a lolly! Usually strawberry flavoured desserts are quite light, but this is definitely a potent strawberry flavoured one (probably a little on the artificial side, which tastes great and makes you feel like a little kid again).


A tip is to eat yumcha slowly... I got too excited ordering that we loaded our tables with food but everything went cold very quickly, where small steam dishes need to be enjoyed exactly that - steaming!

Oh and make room for dessert! :)