Hung Vuong (Vietnamese)

Address: John St, Cabramatta (Just look for a sign that looks like the one above)

Admittedly this restaurant belongs to the grandma of a very good friend of mine. So what I say is biased, but there is a story behind the foundings of this place. It didn’t always used to have a shopfront on John St, in fact she used to sell fresh rice rolls, sticky rice wrapped in banana leaves and sweets from a small stall off the main shopping area in Cabramatta (Sydney’s unofficial Vietnamese town). It did really well (and the rice rolls were fresh!) until the local council closed down the stalls.

One thing I learnt in this process was that the business of asian food can be very dodgy. Family feuds arose from relatives or apprentices using bleach and other chemicals to “whiten” the rice noodles used to make rice rolls. So if it looks too good to be true, it probably is.

Moving on, my favourite Vietnamese dish is a noodle soup called Bun Bo Hue (pictured below). Pronounced “Boon Bor Weh”, it consists of a typical pho-style broth (many hours of boiling all the flavour out of bone in a vat) with chilli oil, spaghetti-style rice noodles, pork knuckle, pigs blood, onions, coriander, shallots, and that pork meat slice. It doesn’t like a culinary delight but at under $10 for a huge bowl, it’s quite a unique worldly experience. For a broth – it is extremely complex and dense with flavour. This type of broth is difficult even to replicate in a traditional Vietnamese home – requiring many hours of preparation and leftovers for the rest of the week(so don’t plan on cooking it unless you’re planning to feed a generation).

Below: Typical servings of mint leaves, soya bean sprouts and a wedge of lemon to taste (put in your noodle soup), and condiments such as that xo/satay paste.

Above: Another great cultural experience – you have to drink sugar cane juice off the side of the road. This was nice and handy – right out the front of the shop. Thank goodness they sieved it because sometimes it can be filled with sediment and cane fibres and worst case scenario – bugs. The sugar cane is fed into this juice extractor along with oranges, giving this drink a nice refreshing tang. Great in summer!

The Sultan's Table (Turkish Restaurant)

Address: 179 Enmore Rd (Cnr Enmore Rd & London St) Enmore NSW
Tel: (02) 9557 0229
Trading hours: Open 7 days - 10am till late

Just looking at the menu for this place induces me to fantasize about the wordly flavours at The Sultan's Table. This restaurant is both eat-in and takeaway. Like most other reviews it has been given, I am going to add to the compliments everyone else has given it - and agree with the fact that it does live up to every expectation.

If you choose to eat-in, you will notice the interior and furnishings are thoughtfully decorated with what appears to be traditional Turkish or Persian-esque Art.



I ordered the Mixed Grill (to share between 2 people, pictured above) with the addition of a serving of hommous dip. The mixed grill consists of a combination of Adana (hand chopped lamb meat seasoned with red peppers, herbs & spices grilled over charcoal on a flat skewer), Shish lamb (marinated cubes of suckling lamb, skewered and grilled over charcoal) and shish chicken (marinated cubes of chicken fillet, grilled over charcoal) with turkish bread pieces (I am told they bake it fresh on premises), tomato, red onion and salad. I have never been a fan of lamb, but the herbs they use complement the meat perfectly to mask that sometimes overwhelming taste of lamb.

Below: Top to bottom - marinated chicken, beef cubes, marinated lamb skewered meat


I started regretting having ordered the hommous (they spell it humus) dip - as it is usually a very plain flavour - why couldn't I have ordered something more interesting on my trip here?!?!?! They had Babaganush, Parsley, Chilli, Carrot, Beetroot, Spinach, Jajik, Green Bean & Eggplant dips... but I chose humus!


BUT - this was no ordinary humus (pictured above)! There was what seemed to be a hint of lemon juice which gave it that extra tang, and possibly something else - but it had me hooked!!! This is arguably the best humus dip ever! Every spread was a new facet - sometimes it would be more tangy, sometimes more garlicy, sometimes just plain chickpea flavoured - but it was a taste of a thousand sensations! I was close to licking the plate clean!

There are also a wide range of pides available, all huge and very fresh. There are also a number of small entree dishes - I tried the zucchini fritter (zucchini, carrot, parsley, onion, cheese, herbs & spices) which were a tad on the floury side for my tastes, but nevertheless tasty (eat it before a meal, not after because it loses its appeal). Also tried the Stuffed Capsicum - a capsicum hollowed out and stuffed with spiced & herbed steam-cooked rice - really yummy, reminiscent of the Peri-Peri rice they sell at Nandos (but not as spicy) and really absorbs the flavour of the capsicum shell.

My co-eater liked this place so much, he went back the day after for round 2! I know I may be hyping this place up a bit too much, but the good thing about it is that they have such a large menu, it would take a long time for you to get bored - and furthermore, it is a great place to take someone (or yourself) for an introduction to mediterreanean cuisine (its clean, authentic but suited to Western tastes).

Hog’s Breath Cafe

Address: Lot 1, 8-18 The Kingsway, Cronulla NSW 2230
Ph: (02) 9544 0644
Fax: (02) 9527 4033

Website: http://www.hogsbreath.com.au (please visit for more locations around Australia)

I am a picky steak eater - I still claim the best I've had was down the road at the pub and it cost me $6 including a salad and thick-cut fries.

Although I can also reliably depend on Hog's Breath Cafe to make a steak that is largely acceptable and where I can eat more than 50% of it (including the fat which is remarkably tender).

Hogs Breath is best known for their Prime Rib steaks - slow cooked for 18 hours and then sealed in the final stages of cooking. The rumoured secret is that they oven bake their steaks so that the meat (and sinew/fat) is tender - and melts in your mouth (almost!).

I used to frequent the one located in Bondi Beach which has since closed down, so this marks my latest adventure down to Cronulla:

I think Hogs Breath has had a makeover in recent years - staff uniforms and a new menu. Pictured below are the Hoggies loaded potato skins - this one was 'The Sicilian' – Marinated Tomato & Basil salsa topped with cheddar, grilled to golden brown. Add spicy salsa to turn up the heat. It is not a very thin potato skin, there is still some potato (about 0.5cm) that forms the base for these bruschetta-like appetisers.


Below: Salt & Pepper Calamari - these are evenly battered and fried and quite delightful. In between mass production and gourmet, so a decent compromise.


Below: My main which was supposed to be Prime Rib Steak (but they ran out of it, so gave us some other steak, which was not too dissimilar) - Byron Bay Chilli Prime Rib Traditional Cut with extra order of avocado. This was a new flavour and since I am such a chilli addict and this Byron Bay chilli sauce won awards, you knew I had to go there. Very nice - sauce was a tangy compliment to this decently texture steak. You can also choose between salad/steamed vegies and curly french fries/mashed potato.

You may ask why the hell there is half a sliced avocado sitting there. Everything tastes better with avocado! And believe it or not, it tastes great with steak too. Hogs breath is like a build-your-own steak - you can add extras such as sauces, avocado and a variety of other condiments/ingredients (its in the instore-menu). There are also 3 sizes of steak - lite (smaller size), traditional and a lmega cut which is 33% bigger.


I would have had a photo and post on the famed 'Missisipi Mud Cake' which is meant to be heaven on earth but our waiter lost the dessert order so we were left hanging out for 20 minutes for nothing, so decided to wrap-up the bill and go. Maybe next time!

Tosolinis (Canberra)

Address: Bailey's Arc London Cct (cnr East Row), Canberra ACT
Tel: (02) 6247 4317

Website: http://www.tosolinis.com.au/ (website also currently being 'updated')

Yes don't ask me why I was there - this was my 5pm lunch/dinner. I was hungry from being stuck in a car all day and being disappointed from other things, and being Canberra on a Sunday afternoon not much is open after 3pm so I took my chances on this one.

Cafe looked classy and staff were attentive and knew what the dishes comprised of (which is suprising because you get a lot of clueless wait staff).

Below: Risotto di pollo - Marinated chicken, mushrooms, sun dried tomatoes, seeded mustard and fresh herbs (entree size). This was suprisingly good risotto! For such a random assortment of ingredients it actually worked quite well, and the entree size was very adequate (actually looked no different to my fellow eating buddies who ordered main size). The rice was not soft, and not undercooked and there just just enough liquid so that the sauce set the rice without being soggy or parched. Food did take a little while to come out, but it was worth it.


Also recommend the fruity mocktail/gourmet drinks or whatever they call it. I had something with passionfruit, strawberry & blood orange - only they ran out of blood orange so they substituted it with possibly what was pink grapefruit juice. The result: a fizzy concoction of fruity flavours and a revelation that fresh passionfruit makes for a great fruit cocktail.

Passionflower Dessert Cafe

Address: Capitol Square (opposite Capitol Theatre complex), Atrium Street Level, George St, Sydney NSW 2000

Tel: (02) 9281 8322

Website: http://www.passionflower.com.au/ (right now there's nothing on the website except an email address if you want to become a franchisee)

Note: There are other franchise locations around, but I do not and cannot find an exhaustive list)

This has been a popular hangout for young & old since the early 2000's and has recently seemed to have been expanded and refurbished.

Passionflower is mostly known for his exotic ice cream flavours such as jackfruit, sticky rice, wasabi, green tea, red bean, black sesame as well as other fruit gelato and conventional ice cream flavours.

It is not cheap (expect desserts to be priced between $10-$20), but is certainly an ideal location for if dinner did not satisfy or you wish to prolong a dinner date.

On this particular occasion (I had not been back here in abou 5 years) I decided to try this new flavour called rosewater and lychee. This particular dessert was 3 scoops of rosewater & lychee icecream, strawberry coulis and something coconutty at the bottom. It is usually also served with lychee jelly, coconut jelly and cream, but I am not a fan of either so to save myself from picking it all off in a less-than-classy fashion, I just ordered this without. Verdict - lovin' the rosewater & lychee flavour! Authentic with lychee bits of fruit, the refreshing light hint of rosewater and refreshing flavour of lychee. It is an ice cream rather than gelato, but this flavour doesn't emphasise the heaviness that more typical icecream flavours do. Thumbs up! (Picture below).


Below: Some chocolate brownie dessert - comprising of chocolate, chocolate and more chocolate. 3 scoops of chocolate icecream, chocolate sauce, a flake chocolate and dollop of cream. Very rich. Will not disappoint those with a massive sweet tooth.



Above: Lovestoned (yeh that's the name of this dessert!) 3 scoops of strawberry icecream, strawberry syrup and fresh strawberries. Not that out-of-this-world but not as bad as it could be (I have seen some pretty nasty icecreams in my time!)

You will find this is not a bad hangout place, the staff were quite friendly & efficient on this evening and there were not many people on Christmas Eve at 8pm eating icecream so that may have something to do with it. They do also serve cakes and other desserts so if you are in the city/Chinatown and are seeking an exotic asian-themed icecream parlour then check this out!

Prasits Thai Northside Takeaway

Address: 395 Crown St SURRY HILLS, NSW 2010 (moved to a couple of stores down the same street)
Phone: (02) 9332 1792

One of my favourite Thai restaurants - always packed out, modest pricing and a casual dining atmosphere which suits any weekend/weeknight.


Below: Curry Puff - this is a melt-in-your-mouth sensation, puff pastry and filling is just bliss...


Below: Tom yum goong (Chilli broth with lemongrass, chilli oil & flakes, mushroom and prawns). Almost a meal in itself (I was greedy and ordered it as an entree, evidently paid the price for it later when I had to be rolled out of the restaurant after eating the main as well) - generous servings of mushrooms and about 3-4 prawns.




Above: Chicken Green Curry - a sweeter rendition of the traditional Thai green curry, not too thick, but not soup-like either - sticks magically to the rice giving it a full-bodied flavour. Chicken is complimented with crunchy blanched green beans and thinly sliced bamboo shoots.

Below: Heaven Beef - eating this is really like being in heaven - a tangy dressing drizzled over a charred piece of beef, slightly rare in the middle and semi-thinly sliced for your delectable pleasure.


Other Recommendations:

Jungle Curry - a coconut milk-less curry, extremely hot and sure to cause runny nose and watery eyes in no time...

Fish Choo Chee Curry - a thicker yellow curry with semi-sweet flavour, and fried fish pieces. Texture of fried fish pieces with the curry over it complimented with rice - a hearty meal.

Jimbaran (Indonesian Restaurant)

Address: 129 Avoca Street Randwick NSW 2031
Telephone: 9398 8555

Trading Hours:
Lunch: Sun 11am-3pm
Dinner: Tue-Sun 6pm-9pm
Closed Monday

Website: http://jimbaran.com.au/2006/index.php


Indonesian food, is reminiscent of Malaysian and most other South-East Asian cuisine. Jimbaran adds a touch of class and is a great introduction to this exotic cuisine full of pungent herbs & spices.

Being part of a larger group I got to sample some 10-or so dishes (sorry about the photos, taken with phone camera as I didn't want to look like a tourist and scare people with an SLR - lighting also was not the greatest):


53. Gado Gado - steamed vegetables (mostly soya bean sprouts) with peanut sauce. Certainly a nice lighter salad-esque option for the warmer seasons where heavy meat dishes aren't appropriate (although the peanut sauce is quite rich).



36. Beef Redang Curry - "Traditional beef curry slowly cooked in coconut milk and chilli until a thick mild curry is formed". Sensational flavour (could go on eating this curry sauce and rice forever), beef is stewed like beef brisket - not too soft, and not overcooked - perfect for even the pickiest steak eater.



37. Jimbaran Seafood Curry - "Light seafood curry without coconut milk cooked with Indonesian herbs". Another fragrant curry, with that hint of lemongrass to give it that unique touch. There's calamari, prawns and fish fillets in there...



25. Sate (satay, kebab stick) - Indonesian style on a hot charcoal grill - this one is the lamb skewers - complimented with a soy/chilli dipping sauce.


67. Sambal Goreng Udang - Stir-fried prawn with satar in chilli sauce. Although I don't know what the name means, or what satar is, this is a blissful stirfy full of flavours - the way stirfries should be! The herbs & marinate stuck beautifully to the prawns...



25. Sate (satay, kebab stick) - This is the chicken version, complimented with peanut sauce. I have to say, the dipping sauce plate is poorly designed - you get sauce on the first piece of meat closest to the end if you get lazy like me and just shove the stick in the sauce... but in saying this, the meat is tastefully grilled in a sweet marinate, giving it a distinctly smoky flavour. A favourite among all... i.e. make sure you order enough so everyone can have one each, and maybe seconds!




69. Kangkung Cah Trasi / Taoco - Morning glory (a type of Asian green) stir fried with belacan or preserved soya bean. We chose the belacan (whatever that is) - a truly unique dish which makes you actually want to eat your vegetables.

17. Nasi Goreng (seafood) - Indonesian Fried Rice. One of my friends fantasizes about this dish and starts frothing at the mouth. Maybe he talked it up and I was unable to make the correlation BUT I always love South-East Asian renditions of fried rice because they are not afraid to lop on the chilli, herbs, spices and shrimp paste which gives it a nice pungent tang!



17. Nasi Goreng (chicken) - Indonesian Fried Rice. I preferred the chicken version over the seafood, white & red meat seem to give the Nasi Goreng a stronger flavour than the seafood.


We catered for a seafood vegetarian, and a sell-out non-deep-fried food eater such as myself - and everybody enjoyed it so it was a win-win.

I am definitely a fan of this restaurant - the head waiter came around to ask us how the meal went and made us feel welcome to revisit (even though we were probably the youngest and loudest crowd there causing a racket).

The servings are quite small, so don't feel shy of ordering more mains to share - they are all modest quantities to ensure no wastage.

Thumbs up!!!