Date Archives June 2015

A Zomato Meetup: Cho Cho San, Potts Point

Review
Review of Cho Cho San, Potts Point

Review of Cho Cho San, Potts Point

What’s even better than eating out with a bunch of fellw foodies? Eating out with a bunch of fellow foodies at an event organized by a mammoth food company like Zomato.

Although, to call them a food company is provably a bit misleading. Just a bit.

Zomato basically deals with restaurant listings, and they’ve recently taken over Urbanspoon. In a friendly way. Friendly. Uh huh.

No but seriously. Zomato is live in 22 countries, and in an effort to foster the community of foodies, they organized the very first #zomatomeetup at the restaurant on everyone’s to-eat list: Cho Cho San.

Review of Cho Cho San, Potts Point: sharing is caring with food bloggers!

The bossam menu (for groups of four or more) is simple: tender beef shortrib and steamed prawns, to be had with a battery of condiments, pickles, lettuce leaves, and white fluffy baos. Then a miso corn soup to round up the savouries, and their famous matcha soft serve to finish.

Review of Cho Cho San, Potts Point: beef short ribs for the bossam menuTender Beef Short Ribs

The beef ribs, like a prized bull at a fair, was the first thing to go. Juicy, tender and gelatinous where it should have been, it held more than its own against the riot of flavours provided by the fresh herbs, sauces and pickles. And I couldn’t help but mop up all the rich jus left at the bottom of the platter with a milky white bao. Embarassing? Maybe. But it was SO worth it.

Review of Cho Cho San, Potts Point: steamed prawns for the bossam menuSteamed Prawns

The prawns were steamed to succulent perfection, but for the first time in my life, I have to admit that the shellfish was completely outshone by the beef. And I have a devoted love affair with shellfish, so you know how much it took for me to say that.

Review of Cho Cho San, Potts Point: beef short ribs in white steamed buns

And with the soft white buns – I like big buns and I cannot lie – that beef made for an amazing gua bao. It nearly rivals Belly Bao for me, save for the quality of the actual buns itself. But we are veering away from Bossam territory here, in the way that a street racer goes for a joyride: at a dangerous speed but just loving that journey.

And then, all too soon, it was time for dessert.

Review of Cho Cho San, Potts Point: matcha soft serveMatcha Soft Serve

Mind you, I may not have wanted to move on because I just wanted more beef in my belly, but this matcha soft serve was solid. Heavy on the matcha flavour (like it should be) and they fill it all the way into the bottom of the cone! such a simple thing, but it made all the difference. Smooth, silky, and well, good soft serve.

But dat beef, tho’.

Fantastic variety from the team, and very well executed, even if the more gluttonous of us walked away searching for more food. Or should I say waddled? Otherwise a fantastic lunch, and of course, awesome company. Would really like to see what their regular menu is like, although I don’t know how I’d walk in and want anything else but that beef.

Dat beef.

Insatiable Munchies dined as guests of Zomato
Cho Cho San
73 Macleay Street
Potts Point, Sydney, NSW
Phone: 02 9331 6601
Website: http://chochosan.com.au

Click to add a blog post for Cho Cho San on Zomato

What’s the…Rush Hotdogs and Burgers, Surry Hills

Review 1 Comment
Review of Rush Hotdogs and Burgers in Surry Hills

Review of Rush Hotdogs and Burgers in Surry Hills

You know when a restaurant catches your eye while you’re walking, and you look at it and think, “oh I should try that sometime”, only to never make it back? Well that happens to me A LOT, especially in a suburb like Surry Hills. Hip, trendy cafes on every corner, options galore, and enough variety to leave the most dedicated gluttons entertained for months.

Well one such restaurant came back up again, while I was taking a long, late night stroll with Sam: Rush Hotdogs and Burgers sits on the corner of Elizabeth and Albion, and after months of “maybe I’ll make it next time”, we finally made it.

Review of Rush Hotdogs and Burgers, Surry Hills - El Cabrones (Wagyu Beef Burger, Lettuce, Tomatoes, Bacon, Guacamole, Onion, Chipotle, JalapeñoEl Cabrones (Wagyu Beef Burger, Lettuce, Tomatoes, Bacon, Guacamole, Onion, Chipotle, Jalapeño

Now you can’t go to a burger joint without actually ordering a burger, so we got the El Cabrones with a side of chips, and chicken wings.

Review of Rush Hotdogs and Burgers, Surry Hills - Chicken WingsChicken Wings

The El Cabrones – wagyu beef patty, guacamole, lettuce, tomatoes, bacon, chipotle, jalapeno – was a bit like a really precocious child: it held so much promise, but was unfortunately a bit of a non-event. A beef patty so overcooked it was like cardboard, totally tanked the careful work that went into creating a riot of flavours that were nicely balanced. And if I wanted to be disappointed, I’d just go step on a weighing scale.

The Chicken Wings, though, thankfully salvaged the whole experience. Well seasoned on the outside, hot and juicy on the inside, and totally tastes of chicken that has been brined. And anyone who takes the effort to brine their chicken is okay in my books.

Maybe the hotdogs will be better.

This meal was independently paid for.
Rush Hotdogs and Burgers
240 Elizabeth St
Surry Hills, NSW
Phone: (02) 9211 9045
Website: www.rushhotdogsandburgers.com.au/

Click to add a blog post for Rush Hotdogs and Burgers on Zomato

Netflix Binge: Parenthood

Entertainment TV Series
Netflix Binge: Review of NBC's Parenthood

I’m hooked. I’m completely hooked.

Let me just start by saying that I don’t usually like dramas very much. They’re heavy, and gets under your skin, and makes me cry and mess up my makeup way more often that it should. But for some reason, maybe because I’m pulled in by seeing Lorelai Gilmore (Lauren Graham) as yet another single mom to teenage kids, I decided to put NBC’s Parenthood on my list.

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Smoking without smoke? Suminoya, Sydney CBD

Review
Review of Suminoya, Sydney CBD

Review of Suminoya, Sydney CBD

I love barbecue in all its forms. American, Brazillian, Chinese…and that’s just the beginning of the alphabet! But I hate actually being outside, so the solution? Tabletop barbecue – like the Korean varieties with the amazing array of side dishes- where the food comes to you.

Now there IS just one very fundamental flaw in an otherwise delicious plan: at the end of dinner, you smell like you’ve been barbecued, yourself. All that delicious smoke lingers and clings, and gets every where. It’s worse than glitter.

Enter the Japanese solution (and there’s ALWAYS a Japanese solution): smokeless charcoal.

Review of Suminoya Japanese BBQ, Sydney CBD

Sumi in Japanese, refers to all charcoal, and binchotan is a white charcoal that is sold as “smokeless”. Which, is not entirely accurate, since the fat dripping off the pieces of meat still create flareups and smoke, but by itself, the light grey pieces of glowing charcoal really doesn’t seem to emit any visible trails of smoke that lovers of tabletop barbecue, like myself, are so used to seeing. So magical!

So then, what does Suminoya mean? Well, quite literally translated: barbecue house.

Review of Suminoya, Sydney: Barbecue selectionBarbecue Selection

Of course, we can’t be in a barbecue house without food to barbecue, and Suminoya is very conveniently offering set options that allow you to choose 2 or 3 options for lunch, with rice, miso soup, and a side salad. We chose the duck, prawn, beef ribs and skirt steak, for two people.

But wait, you might be wondering why there was a magical fourth option. Well, as part of the Washoku Lovers membership programme – did I ever mention that I’ve got loyalty cards coming out of my ears? – you get an extra option thrown in for your lunch order, for the same price! And like anyone else, I love me some freebies.

Anyhoo, the meat was deliciously tender and very lightly seasoned, which was quite surprising considering skirt steak and beef ribs aren’t known for being tender cuts of meat. There was a certain delicateness about it all, and I’m not sure how I feel about it all. The food, though cooked over charcoal, was only lightly smoky, which kind of defeats the purpose of barbecue, to an extent. The smoke really is what separates this dining option from well, having my meal cooked for me in a pan by the cook, and the lack of a more butt-kicking smoke flavour makes me wonder whether there is really more effort than reward.

Mind you, it’s still a very nice Japanese barbecue. Just a little light on the smoke scale.

Review of Suminoya, Sydney: Entree Sashimi PlatterMixed Sashimi (Entree)

We also ordered the sashimi entree, because uh, I love fish. No two ways around it. The fish was fresh and well handled – what you’d expect from a decent plate of sashimi.

This little barbecue house – hidden down Hoskings Place – actually packs quite a crowd, and all my concerns about smoke aside, still allowed me to walk out with a heavy coat without smelling like a barbecue myself, and for that, I am grateful.

Now I hear that they also do an all-you-can-eat…

Washoku Lovers is a free membership programme that gives you perks to many Japanese restaurants in Sydney! We also have visited other restaurants participating in the Washoku Lovers programme, like Izakaya Yebisu! To find out more about the programme and sign up, visit www.washokulovers.com.

Insatiable Munchies dined as guests of Washoku Lovers and Suminoya.
Suminoya
1 Hosking Place
Sydney, NSW
Phone: 02 9231 2177
Website: http://www.yakiniku.com.au/suminoya/

Click to add a blog post for Suminoya Japanese on Zomato

Guide to photography: Saturation

Photography Tech 1 Comment
Photography 101: Saturation

Sometimes, photography can get so cluttered with techniques and illusions that it can be very hard to know where to start if you wanna improve! So I thought it might be nice have a little practice session: to just focus on one tool that photographers use, and how it can completely change the way you take photos!

This time, it’s all about saturation.
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The Michelin Effect: Tim Ho Wan, Chatswood

Review
Review of Tim Ho Wan, Chatswood

Review of Tim Ho Wan, Chatswood

The Michelin guide started as a general guide for motorists. The Michelin brothers (who owned the tire company), decided to publish a guide that included maps, instructions for changing tires…and where to eat if you were going on a road trip. Today, this humble guide started by two men who owned a tire company has become a force unto itself, elevating restaurants to 6-month-waiting-list levels, or crushing the dreams of a chef slaving away at his craft.

All within those three little stars next to the restaurant’s name.

Well Tim Ho Wan – famous for being the cheapest Michelin starred restaurant – has expanded beyond its original Hong Kong venue, to the busy streets of…Chatswood.

Hundreds of excited foodies flock to Tim Ho Wan in its opening week…and then another week, and another. The queue never seemed to end. But luckily, I’m Singaporean, so I’m not afraid of a queue!

Review of Tim Ho Wan, Chatswood - Prawn DumplingPrawn Dumplings

Review of Tim Ho Wan, Chatswood - Pork Rib with Black Bean SaucePork Ribs with Black Bean Sauce

Review of Tim Ho Wan, Chatswood - Rice Noodle Rolls with ShrimpRice Noodle Rolls with Shrimp

Review of Tim Ho Wan, Chatswood - Glutinous Rice in Lotus LeafGlutinous Rice in Lotus Leaf

Review of Tim Ho Wan, Chatswood - Fish Maw with Prawn PasteFish Maw with Prawn Paste

Simon and I went for a weekday brunch to minimise waiting time – surely other people have day jobs right? – and we were seated in 5 minutes. Win! We ordered a mixture of classic dim sum – rice noodle rolls and prawn dumplings, to name a couple – and the signature/new dishes – barbecued pork buns and fish maw with prawn paste. The classic were, well, a disappointment. The rice noodle rolls were brittle, and sorely lacking the chewy pull that I look forward to, and the prawn dumplings and pork rib with black bean sauce were mediocre.

The signature dishes, on the other hand, were much better executed, perhaps because there isn’t much competition out there. The barbecued pork buns with its buttery shell of “crumble” over the top of sweet, stuffed milk buns were truly special, and kept me going back for more. And the fish maw – fish stomach fried to a sponge like texture and then stuffed with fresh prawn paste and steamed – was quite the representation of good cantonese cooking.

For such a short menu, it’s a shame that there were more mediocre dishes than good ones. The glutinous rice – another in a long list of classic dim sum menu items – was expertly executed, but on the whole, the experience wasn’t enough to even keep us for dessert. Not worth the hype, nor the trip, unfortunately. Maybe a takeaway order of the barbecue pork buns?

This meal was independently paid for.
Tim Ho Wan
Victoria Ave & Railway St
Chatswood, NSW
Phone: (02) 9898 9888
Website: www.timhowan.com.au

Click to add a blog post for Tim Ho Wan on Zomato

Fine dining in the country: Emerson’s, Lovedale

Review
Review of Emerson's Cafe and Restaurant, Lovedale

Review of Emerson's Cafe and Restaurant, Lovedale

I’ve popped my girls’-weekend cherry. No, get your head of
the gutter. Not that kind of girls’ weekend. The kind that is glamourised by the Britney Spears’ classic, Crossroads – where women go on road trips together to find adventure, and themselves.

Well we may or may not have found ourselves (I’m pretty hard to miss), but you know what we found? A restaurant so good that after we went for dinner the first night, we went straight back for breakfast the next day.

Uh huh, it was that good.

The Dinner

Review of Emerson's Cafe and RestaurantPork Croquette, Sauerkraut, apple gel

As foodies with eyes larger than our stomachs, the goal was simple: try as many things as we can stomach, and try not to walk away too broke to get home. So two entrees, one main and one dessert it was.

Review of Emerson's Cafe and RestaurantMiso cured atlantic salmon, pickled cucumber, soy jelly, seaweed dusted puffed rice, fresh horseradish cream

Review of Emerson's Cafe and RestaurantVenison Carpaccio with Apple and Sourdough Crisps

Of the entrees, the Miso cured atlantic salmon was my favourite. It was a very light plate, and even though the combination of miso and soy could have ended in an oversalted disaster, I felt like it was very nicely balanced. The Venison Carpaccio was a richer dish, and also very expertly executed, but not particularly outstanding to me.

Review of Emerson's Cafe and RestaurantDuck Supreme with Duck Hash, Carrot Crisps, Carrot Puree, Peas, Orange Sauce

The Duck Supreme was a throwback to the days of yore where serving a piece of poultry supreme – a breast with the drumlet bone still attached – was in vogue. So retro, like the term “in vogue”. Geddit?

But the old school concept was brought to the present with new school techniques, and the smallest details proved to be the most impressive. And I really mean the smallest details. The light-as-air carrot crisps involve dehydrating a sheet carrot puree, and then deep frying it for that otherworldly texture. The duck itself was tender and moist, and the whole plate came together very nicely with a balance of richness from the duck and sauce, and a lightness from the pea shoots and carrot components.

Review of Emerson's Cafe and RestaurantBanana Fritter, House made nulkaba farm honey ice cream, dulce de leche

And the final crescendo in the symphony that guarantees an exit with a bang, the dessert. We chose the Banana Fritter because well, dulce de leche makes us happy. Real happy. And this dessert hit all the rich, sweet notes that it was meant to hit. The honey ice cream was the most spectacular, with a very distinctive hum of honey through an otherwise vanilla base. And so smooth it puts a baby’s bottom to shame. Creamy and silky, and presented in a perfect quenelle.

And naturally, after having our fill of dinner, we went straight to making plans for breakfast.

The Breakfast

Review of Emerson's Cafe and RestaurantLamb’s Fry with Potato Rosti, Fried Egg, Caramelised Onion, Butter Fried Toast. Wilted Spinach, Extra Bacon

I’ve always preferred savoury over sweet, and I love seeing how uncommon breakfast ingredients like Lamb’s Fry is used at the breakfast table. Lamb’s fry was not quite a thing in Singapore whilst I was growing up – a feat considering how much offal I ate – but since moving to Australia I’ve come to understand it as Lamb’s brains, that is usually crumbed and deep fried. Like a parallel universe’s version of chicken nuggets. I quite like the creamy texture of lamb’s brains, so imagine my shock and horror when liver came out instead. Grainy, tough, unforgiving liver. Turns out, Lamb’s Fry can refer to all the offal of lamb, and brain just seems to be the one that I’ve been eating. And I just don’t like liver. I keep trying, and I’ll eat it, but I don’t have nice things to say about a slab of cooked liver. #sorrynotsorry

Pate, on the other hand…

Review of Emerson's Cafe and RestaurantFluffy Pancakes, Honeycomb Butter, Bananas, Extra Bacon

Thankfully Christine’s order of Fluffy Pancakes were exactly as we expected: fluffy AF, and fried in butter, with bits of caramel honeycomb dissolved throughout. Caramelised bananas and thick slabs of bacon completed the sweet/salty combo, and we walked away happy campers.

There was only one hiccup in all of this – the bread. Such a small thing, right? For dinner, we were asked if we wanted some house-made baguette, and I thought it was a nice question since a LOT of bread can get wasted if the diner didn’t actually want to eat it. So we said yes, and turns out, it wasn’t a question of food waste, it was an order. We were presented a $7 charge for an honestly fairly dense baguette, and quite a but of confusion in between. Thankfully they very readily took it off the bill when we explained the confusion, and we were still left with an amazing enough experience to come back again the next day.

Emerson’s was a very pleasant surprise considering that I wasn’t expecting too much out of country Australia, and definitely stiff competition for the Sydney dining scene. Worth the making a special trip.

Emerson’s
Adina Vineyard
492 Lovedale Rd
Lovedale, NSW 2325
Phone: 02 4930 7029
Website: http://emersonsrestaurant.com.au

Emerson's on Urbanspoon

Fifth Element: Element 6, West Ryde

Review
Review of Element 6, West Ryde

Review of Element 6, West Ryde

I’m not a morning person. Not by a long shot. But when you get woken up by, “hey let’s go see the sunrise together“, it’s a little hard to say no.

Well that, and the promise of breakfast.

And that’s what happened the morning that I found myself climbing steep hills in complete darkness. Not my finest hour, with sweat pants, a hoodie, and layers of clothing underneath. But sunrises are meant to be worth it, and here we were.

Funny thing was, we found ourselves in a spot we thought would have a nice view of the sun rising over the water, but instead had brown buildings in the way. Sexy. I was cold, tired and hungry, and the she-hulk was about to emerge.

Breakfast had better be worth it.

Review of Element 6 in West Ryde - poached eggs, chorizo, kale and spiced lentilsPoached eggs, chorizo, kale and spiced lentils

Located right across West Ryde Station, Element 6 sits amongst an Armenian grocer, Indian spice shop, Halal Butcher, and a Lebanese bakery. Kinda like the food version of It’s a Small World After All.

And food versions of things are the best versions.

Review of Element 6 in West Ryde - french toast with honeycomb, maple syrup and added baconFrench toast with honeycomb, maple syrup and added bacon

We ordered the Chorizo with spiced lentils and kale, and French toast, added bacon of course. And even though I felt like I earned a French Toast with the long walk, the Chorizo was way WAY more satisfying. Crispy salty chorizo, hearty kale, oozing eggs and sweet/salty spiced lentils made for a filling breakfast that also made you feel good about eating it.

Not that the french toast was bad, mind you, it just wasn’t as good. Especially since they seem to have used a crusty slice of sourdough as the base, which just doesnt help you get the eggy pudding consistency that youre looking for. So much promise, too much bread.

It had a great buzzing-cafe sort of atmosphere, and had polite, efficient service. Not quite as exciting as brunch in the city, but definitely great as a local weekend hangout!

This meal was independently paid for.
Element 6
65 Ryedale Road
West Ryde NSW
Phone: 02 8021 2838
Website: http://www.element6.com.au

Click to add a blog post for Element 6 on Zomato

Laser Hair Removal: First treatment

Beauty Review

Picture source: Flickr

So somewhere along the way, the hairless look became sexy, but the talk about hair removal became awkward. Like a dirty little secret. I remember totally being awkward as a teenager when my mum even tried to suggest separating my monobrow, and those conversations haven’t gotten any easier since.

In the meantime, I’ve gone from shaving, to tweezing, to waxing, and now, I’ve finally decided to make the jump: into the deep, dark world of laser hair removal.

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