Posts by tammi

Week 15: Photo A Day Challenge

Photography 1 Comment
Photo-a-day collage

I love it when challenges are designed to push the boundaries of creativity, and encourages you to think outside the box. The #FmsPhotoADay challenge is one of those challenges for me: Fat Mum Slim Chantelle Ellem sets up prompts for every day, and that would serve as inspiration for the photo that you take.

Clearly though, I’m not as determined/inspired/on the ball enough to keep on this everyday, but hey, three days out of 7 is better than none right? So here are my pictures for Week 15, and the stories that go along with them!
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Soul O-rising? Seoul Orizin Korean Food, Haymarket

Review
Prawn and Chicken Gangjung, $18

Prawn and Chicken Gangjung, $18

You’d think that living in an area inundated with Korean restaurants means that I wouldn’t be as excited about yet another Korean Fried Chicken joint.

BUT YOU’D BE WRONG.

When Simon from The Heart of Food suggested Seoul Orizin for our lunch catchup, my brain and body instantly went on fried chicken mode: hungry.

Spicy Cold Buckwheat Noodles, $10Spicy Cold Buckwheat Noodles, $10

Spicy Prawn and Chicken Gangjung, $18Spicy Prawn and Chicken Gangjung, $18

Grilled Beef Ribs, $16Grilled Beef Ribs, $16

Egg Hot PotEgg Hot Pot

We ordered a variety of things, including my favourite go to noodle dish: the bibim naeng myeon, a chewy stretchy spicy korean noodle that is served with crunchy pickles. My mouth is watering as I write this. Their noodles aren’t quite as good as The Mandoo for my taste – not as spicy and without that oomph that I love about this dish – but it’s a fantastic option for a CBD lunch.

The Spicy Prawn and Chicken Gangjung was literally, fried chicken and prawn coated in the spicy sticky sweet sauce that sticks to the back of your molar, and was quite nice, but nothingg groundbreaking.

It was one of those “not bad” experiences – nothing to complain about, but nothing that makes me scream from the rooftops unfortunately. Not sure whether if I stand outside those doors I’d go in for lunch, or take a step to the right and walk into Hana Hana instead!

This meal was independently paid for.
Seoul Orizin
203-209 Thomas St
Haymarket, NSW 2000
Phone: 02 8541 7531

Seoul Orizin - the Chicks on Urbanspoon

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The Norfolk, Surry Hills

Review
Deep Fried Banana Taco, $12 for 2

Deep Fried Banana Taco, $12 for 2

The Norfolk used to be “that place under House Of Crabs” to me, where the food was decent, but not the main attraction. But now, there’s a whole new menu, and a few of us were lucky enough to get invited to feast!

Deep fried banana taco anyone?

Fried Chicken in Waffle on a stickFried Chicken in Waffle on a stick

Monterey Cheese Burger, $5Monterey Cheese Burger, with EZ cheese and Jalapeño Salsa, $5

Asado beef tacos, $5.50Asado beef tacos, with coffee, avocado cream, and arbol chilli salsa, $5.50

Jalepeno Popper Taco, $5.50Jalepeno Popper Taco, with pumpkin mole, queso and salsa mojo, $5.50

Pulled Pork Taco, $5.50Pulled Pork Taco, with smoked adobo pork, aji chilli and pineapple salsa, $5.50

Mole Fried Chicken Wings, $14Mole Fried Chicken Wings, with mole spices, crema and chilli vinegar, $14

Deep Fried Pickles, $9 Deep Fried Pickles, with ranch sauce, $9

Mac and Cheeseballs, $14Mac and Cheeseballs, with spiced ketchup, $14

San Jose Sang Choy Bow, $14San Jose Sang Choy Bow, with green papaya, lime, peanuts and salsa mojo, $14

BBQ Corn, $7BBQ Corn, with ancho mayo, bacon and pretzel furikake, $7

K-Town Burrito, $14K-Town Burrito, with short rib, smoked frank and kimchi rice, $14

But before dessert, the bar menu. The corn with ancho mayo, bacon and pretzel furikake should be how all corn should ve had, with smoky crusty salty deliciousness to be had all around. If this is how all veggies are served, I’m sure you wouldn’t have issues making kids eat their veg. The Monterey Sliders were also pretty groovy, bringing all the cheesy comforts in every bite. There was an extra one floating around the table, and it was all I could do (and the belt that I was wearing) that stopped me from going for seconds.

And for tha Mac and Cheese lovers, The Norfolk is turning it up a notch with Mac and Cheese Balls. Finally, the perfect crumb to ooey gooey goodness ratio. This came with a dipping sauce, which was somewhat non-essential, since every ball of mac has the cheese to dress itself.

Deep Fried Banana Taco, $12 for 2Deep Fried Banana Taco, with peanut butter ice cream, ice magic, peanuts, 100s and 1000s, and a fried corn taco, $12 for 2

The Deep Fried Banana Taco was the last dish of the night, and served with a flourish it was. It had all the hot/cold sweet/savoury things going on, but at that point I was so stuffed that I wasnt sure what I was really eating anymore. But I did finish the banana though, because, uh, deep fried fruit is good for you right?

Insatiable Munchies dined as guests of The Norfolk and Drink and Dine.
The Norfolk
305 Cleveland St
Redfern, NSW
Phone: 02 9699 3177
Website: http://www.thenorfolk.co/

The Norfolk on Urbanspoon

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Not-so-secrets To An Organised Kitchen

Food 5 Comments
An organised tea cupboard

I like to think that I’m a neat person generally, but when it comes to my kitchen – home is where the food is! – I’m an absolute stickler for keeping things organised.

And why not? An organised kitchen means a more efficient way to get the delicious food into your belly, and a reduction in food waste that means more dollars in your pocket!

So, anyone else a fan of Tetris?
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Sample of the Week: Appelles Apothecary Wheat Protein Shampoo

Beauty Review
Appelles Apothecary Wheat Protein Shampoo held against a white background

As someone with curly, coarse, combination hair – yes, you read it right: oily on the scalp and dry at the root – I get very particular about my choice of haircare products. It not only has to work on very difficult hair, but also needs to be at the right price point – I’ve to use quite a bit of product for the amount of hair that I have, which means all the money that I could be spending on food might literally get washed down the drain. Literally.

So how does an organic shampoo with wheat protein work on difficult hair? Is it any better than the drugstore brands?
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A delicious deal with the devil: Dr Faustus, Surry Hills

Review
Fruit Loop 8-ball doughnut from Dr Faustus at Surry Hills!

Fruit Loop 8-ball doughnut from Dr Faustus at Surry Hills!

I’m a fairly clumsy walker. I think it’s mostly due to the fact that I’m constantly distracted by the menus of passing restaurants as I move. Sometimes it’s worth the bump and graze, and sometimes it’s not. But once in a while, you come past an eatery that can only be described as intriguing, and that beckons you inwards like a charming circus master crooking his finger at you.

And on a sunny Friday morning, Dr Faustus did just that.

Located on Cleveland Street, Dr Faustus is decked out like the apothecaries of days gone by, straight out of an old world where travelling freakshows captured the imaginations of American suburbia. Carved wood and glass showcase tall jars of psychedelic pickles, and jaunty music play through the speakers.

The menu is just, if not more inventive than the decor, and the imaginative concepts and twists in classic favourites are enough to whet any foodie’s appetite.

Eggs done 5 ways at Dr FaustusEggs 5 Ways

Blood Sausage Burger with ChipsBlack Pudding Sandwich

brussel sprout caesar at Dr FaustusBrussel Sprout Caesar

We ordered the Black Pudding Sandwich, Eggs 5 Ways and a Brussel Sprout Caesar to share. The Brussel Sprout Caesar was a surprise favourite: with pickled radish, crispy sopressata, and a soft quail egg on shaved brussel sprouts. I’ve never been a fan of the traditional, watery Caesar, and this has convinced me that I never want to have it the traditional way ever again. The brussel sprouts, as owner Adam explains, are sturdier than cos lettuce, holding its own against the dressing to provide lasting crunch and freshness into the very last bite. A genius way to refresh a classic with winter greens.

The Eggs 5 Ways, while visually impressive, didnt give quite the same oomph as the Caesar. A soft boiled duck and quail egg flank a beetroot pickled hens egg, on a smear of ‘red eye aioli’ – an homage to red eye gravy that features espresso as one of the defining ingredients. Fish roe tops off the egg fest, and it all looks like something that could only come out of a Tim Burton film (I’m a massive fan, if you didnt know already). The concept for this egg on egg orgy is strong, but as perfectly cooked as all the eggs were – there was no tell-tale grey ring around the yolk of the hen’s egg. I checked! – it wasn’t as ground breaking as the rest of the experience was for me.

The Black Pudding Sandwich was more than made up for it though, with its tangy sauce and generous serving of rich sausage between soft buns. Moreish and just downright delicious, this sandwich/burger is like a gateway dish to blood sausage for the queasy.

And of course, with lunch then comes dessert!

Coco Pop 8 ball doughnut from Dr FaustusCoco Pop 8 ball doughnut

Sugared 8 ball doughnut from Dr FaustusSugared 8 ball doughnut

Fruit Loop 8 ball doughnut at Dr FaustusFruit Loop 8 ball doughnut

8 ball doughnuts – so named because they’re the size and shape of the 8-ball at the pool table – come in three options: plain sugared, coco pop, and fruit loop. The cereal options are really just that – cereal-infused milk gets reduced to a syrup, then decadently poured over doughnuts. Feeling the diabetes yet? The Fruit Loop was my favourite, mostly because I have a weakness for milk frostings. And they’re just so gosh darned cute! The doughnuts themselves could be just a touch lighter and less cakey, but that’s something I think will evolve as the cafe matures.

Owner Adam still fronts this fairly new cafe, and greets customers and busses the tables himself. Having worked in the hospitality business for many years, including a stint in the U.S., he’s brought his imagination and sense of humour to the table when it comes to designing a menu that will put a smile on people’s faces. Working with a head chef to execute his ideas, it feels there still are some minor executionary details that are going to get worked out as the cafe matures.

Personally, even though the food wasn’t technically perfect, I still thoroughly enjoyed my experience, and admire the passion and focus that fuel such a strong conceptually led cafe. A must-return, even if it’s just to sate my curiousity (and appetite!) about the other things on the menu.

This meal was independently paid for.
Dr Faustus
380 Cleveland St
Surry Hills, NSW 2010
Phone: 0416 914 170
Website: www.drfaustus.com.au/

Dr Faustus on Urbanspoon

The Beauty in Birdcages

Musings
Birdcages suspended between buildings in Sydney's Angel Place

I’ve recently been very inspired by all things ornate and flowery. Maybe it’s my late blooming entry into traditional feminity, or maybe these are just so gosh darned pretty. Either way, it’s resulted in an increasing obesession in birdcages.

It’s such a strange thing, because by definition, birdcages were meant to restrain, to trap, and yet they hold so much beauty – both in their designs, and the birds that they hold.

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Sedap Tak? Drive-by Eating: Sedap , Regents Place

Drive-by Eating Review 1 Comment
Chee Cheong Fun

Chee Cheong Fun

When I was a little, I had the good fortune to have my mother’s office located near one of Singapore’s famous hawker centres on Amoy St. She and I would walk, hand in hand, to get breakfast before she dropped me off to childcare/Kinder, and I would invariably want to get Chee Cheong Fun – rolled steamed rice noodles smothered in a thick sweet hoisin-type sauce, sometimes with a bit of chilli on the side. The portly man who owned the stall wore a white wife-beater, and stood, tall and wide amongst the steamers, taking orders and serving up dishes with lightning speed and a seemingly perfect memory.

That stall has long since disappeared from the horizon of fluorescent-lit food stalls, but the memory remains. A simple plate of Chee Cheong Fun still triggers those childhood memories with my mother, and the simpler times when my day started with these comforting noodles and ended with an egg braised in duck masterstock.

At Sedap – which translates to “delicious”. Setting the bar a little high are we? – Chee Cheong Fun is served on an enamel coated tin plate, with the typical sweet sauce and chilli from my childhood. The first bite into the silky noodles brought back all sorts of memories, and really hit home for me. It was a touch on the pricey side considering the raw materials, but it is the city after all, and the friendly staff made up for it.

I haven’t heard too much about the rest of the menu though, but it does seem interesting enough for me to make a return trip to try it out. And if nothing else, there’s always Chee Cheong Fun.

Sedap
Regent Place
501 George Street
Sydney, NSW 2000

Sedap on Urbanspoon

Top 4 Apps to Boost Your Instagram Game

Photography Tech
a phone on the table with the instagram screen up, surrounded by coffee and breakfast

It may sound like a bit of a misnomer, but the days of Instagram actually being “instant” are fairly long gone. With professionals and multinational companies jumping in on the game, Instagram is no longer just about taking happy snaps and slapping a filter on it. #nofilter

So with that in mind, here are my Top 4 Apps to Boost Your Instagram Game, to help you make your beautiful pictures even better.

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