Blog

Big Foot? Big Food! La Grande Bouffe, Rozelle

Review September 20, 2015 1 Comment

When I was a kid, I wanted to be one of those people who were randomly fluent in French. I imagined myself sitting in a quaint little cafe, surrounding by picturesque surroundings…and effortlessly ordering everything on the menu.

What can I say? I dream big.

Chicken Liver Parfait, spiced port and fig chutney, and sliced baguette, $16

Well, I’ve learnt now that Spanish is really the language that I need to learn now for the cutting edge of food advancement, but in the meantime, French food still needs eating. And eating, and eating, and eating.

Classic Steak Tartare, $18

Croque Madam, $17

Roasted duck, lardon, cos lettuce, shaved parmesan, anchovy vinaigrette, sliced avocado, $18

You know what? La Grande Bouffe is serving up classic French dishes that still feel relevant. The Salad Nicoise – commonly made with rather overcooked tuna – is made with confit salmon, which they didn’t have the day I went (BOOOOOO).

The Croque Madame – a fancy name for a ham and cheese sandwich – is made with truffled gruyere and sourdough, and is the most monster ham and cheese sandwich this side of the city. I especially enjoyed the Classic Steak Tartare – minced raw beef with pickles, mustard and a raw egg yolk to bind it all – and Beef Bourguignon was a dark, hearty stew with cubes of super tender beef, and a buttery mash that I could’ve bathed in, it was so good.

With food like that, I don’t understand how the French stay so skinny. TELL ME. TELL ME YOUR SECRETS!!

Until I find out the answer, I’ll just retreat into my corner with the potato mash. Mange mange mange mange.

This meal was independently paid for.

La Grande Bouffe
758 Darling Street
Rozelle, NSW
Phone: 02 9818 4333
Website: http://www.lagrandebouffe.com.au

Sydney Food Blog Review of East Ocean, Haymarket

West meets…East Ocean, Haymarket

Review September 18, 2015 1 Comment

What happens when you give a glutton two hundred dollars to spend at a restaurant? So much food that you’d have to roll me home, that’s what. And it didn’t even involve crab, the most magnificent of food creatures.

That’s just a regret that I’m gonna have to live with for the rest of my life. :'(

It all started with a surprise gift of an East Ocean voucher from Zomato coinciding with my birthday. It was like the Universe was telling me that I was long overdue for some dumplings, and what’s good eating without some good people to eat it with?

5 people can smash $200, right? Surely, with prices of food what they are in Sydney’s CBD. Well, no. We only hit $176, and you could hear my cries of asian-stingy-anguish from the next street over, as I waived away my right to finish off that voucher. URRRRGGGHHHH. How did we not hit target??

Although I guess, it speaks to the value for money. I personally ate till I couldn’t eat anymore, and we didn’t hold back in the ordering either: suckling pig, jellyfish, soup dumplings, scallop dumplings, chicken feet, rice noodle rolls and more, all made multiple appearances around the table. In front of me. Mostly.

As for the quality of the food, it was actually pretty decent. There were a few items that weren’t as up-to-scratch: the rice noodle rolls needed a thinner sauce in larger quantities, the soup dumplings were dryer than an Australian dessert…but you know what, I really enjoyed the sheer variety that they had, and all printed in a pictorial menu, no less.

And the service? Well, it isn’t a good Chinese restaurant unless the service is…questionable. Some good, some bad, so that evens it out I guess. Although there were times I just wanted to hold them by the collar and yell, “JUST FEED ME!!! FEED ME GODDAMMIT”

I’m not me when I’m hangry.

Oh and one last thing: the good stuff – like the aforementioned suckling pig – only comes in at 11am. Don’t bother rocking up before then if that’s what you’re after. Trust me.

Insatiable Munchies dined as guests of Zomato.

East Ocean
421-429 Sussex Street
Sydney, NSW
Phone: 02 8318 2200
Website: http://www.eastocean.com.au

Sydney Food Blog Review of Tamagta Ya, Neutral Bay

Tamageta Ya, Neutral Bay

Review September 16, 2015

I have found my Mecca. A place where I can go to for some spiritual healing. Where I can congregate with other people similar to me and bask in the glory in something bigger than myself.

That something, is Japanese food culture, and that place? North Sydney.

Yuzu Honey Hi ball

I can’t believe that it’s taken me so long to discover this treasure trove of Japanese grocers, restaurants and general awesomeness. But now that I’ve found it, I’m not going.

AND I’M TELLINGGGG YOUUUUU…

Fried Crab Claw Croquette, $8.80

Grilled Engawa and Grilled Salmon Nigiri, $12.80

Hidden in an alcove of Japanese restaurants is Tamageta-ya. When you first walk into this cozy eatery, you are enthusiastically greeted by a chorus of Japanese staff members, as well as delicious smells emanating form the kitchen. Here, they serve up Japanese classics, with a few modifications.

Mentai Cheese Gyoza, $8.80

Salmon Avocado Roll, $5.80

Pop Corn Roll, $6.80

The maki rolls and nigiri are all served with black rice. Full of nutrients and higher in fibre than regular sushi rice, black rice is still maintains a soft stickiness that I expect from Japanese rice, and succeeds where brown rice fails. And bonus points because it actually has quite a bit more flavour than regular sushi rice, so double win right?

And let me take this opportunity to share a little public service announcement: you know how dipping a sushi roll into soy sauce just makes everything super salty and fall apart? Well, enter your friend – pickled ginger. Simply use the pickled ginger to brush on the soy, and voila! Reasonably seasoned sushi. #winning #lifehack

You’re welcome.

Chicken Cutlet on Egg, $13.80

Chicken Cutlet Curry Rice, $18.80

BBQ Eel Set, $19.80

Premium Wagyu Beef Steak, $10.80

Besides the sushi selection – I highly recommend the engawa for it’s amazing texture and tender flesh – they also have hearty mains like Japanese curry and a chicken cutlet on egg that’s served in what looks like a massive ladle.

How’s that for presentation?

The curry was my favourite, because you can take the girl out of Singapore but you can’t take the Singaporean out of the girl. Japanese curries are a little sweeter, but there’s just something about this massive serve of curry and rice that is comforting AF. There’s nothing like a huge bowl of noms to make me want to loosen the top button on my eating pants.

Psych! There is no button on my eating pants.

Tokyo Tower, $7.80

Chocolate banana sundae, $5.80

And of course dessert, because I’m greedy like that. The Tokyo Tower is a classic Japanese parfait, with cornflakes, ice cream, red bean paste, and mochi balls. Very pretty, very Japanese, and incredibly filling. The portion sizes here are certainly not small – don’t let the little old Japanese lady customers fool you! I had to be rolled out of there at the end of the night.

At Tamageta ya, there’s does seem to be an emphasis on the complete meal. They provide ample options from starters, to mains, to desserts, and even have an extensive drinks menu that feature classic Japanese cocktails made with quality whisky. They even have a lunch deal where it’s cheaper to order your food with a drink than just the dish by itself. I know, the math did my head in too, but it’s definitely the case!

Oh, and you’ve got your Washoku Lovers card? Flash it when you drop by for lunch and you’ll get to get the “Today’s dessert” for free! Any excuse to have dessert is a good excuse.

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 Suminoya and Oiden! To find out more about the programme and sign up, visit www.washokulovers.com.

Insatiable Munchies dined as guests of Tamageta Ya.

Tamageta Ya
Shop 5, 197 Military Road
Neutral Bay, NSW
Phone: (02) 9953 6678
Website: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Tamageta-ya/688951367784037

Sydney Food Blog Review of Bloody Mary's, Darlinghurst

Hair of the dog: Bloody Mary’s, Darlinghurst

Review September 14, 2015

I’m obsessed with Bloody Mary’s. Well, virgin mary’s cause I don’t do so well with alcohol (asian genes and all), but you get the idea. Bloody Caesar, Bloody Maria, Bacon fat vodka…whatever the combination, I’m absolutely there.

So when I saw this Buzzfeed article about a cafe called Bloody Mary’s, right here in Sydney, I knew I had to go.

Bloody Hell, $25

Classic Bloody Mary, $14

So, there were many bloody mary’s, as expected, but also a short food menu to soak up the potential hangovers.

Bloody Mary’s Beef Burger, $19

Yankee Doodle Classic Hotdog, $13

The verdict? Bloody marys with massive-ass toppers are good fun and beats crazy milkshakes anyday. Because cheeseburger > doughnut. The actual food on the menu did seem like an afterthought to the bloody mary’s, which I guess is a fair call, except when the Bloody Mary’s Beef Burger turned up fairly dry, both in topper form and full-sized form.

The buffalo wing topper was actually pretty good, and I wished we ordered that instead, but life is full of shoulda woulda couldas and this will be one of them.

I also got the Yankee Doodle Classic Hotdog, which was pretty punchy in flavour with chorizo and mushrooms covered in a creamy sauce. And cheese. Because cheese is delicious. A bit too much bread in each mouthful for my liking, but it was okay when you wash it down with your bloody mary.

Great theme, so-so execution. Go for the experience, but I’m not sure that it’s enough to hook me into coming back hangover after hangover. The drinks are pretty good, but incredibly..delicate for my unsubtle Asian palate. (Read: needs more tabasco. Always more tabasco.)

Go on and give it a go, though. I’d love to know what you think. And if you aren’t quite into it, as I was, well there’s always Gelato Messina’s Dessert Bar down the street.

This meal was independently paid for.

Bloody Mary’s
332 Victoria Street, Darlinghurst
Phone: 02 9360 5568
Website: http://www.bloodymaryssydney.com.au

Sydney Food Blog Review of Cafe Mix, Shangri La

Singapore week! Cafe Mix, Shangri La

Review September 11, 2015

I have a confession: I have been so busy eating, that I’ve actually not had enough time to blog. I know, #FoodBloggerProblems, right?

But finally, FINALLY, I’m sitting down to write the recap of Shangri-La’s Singapore Week at Cafe Mix. Because there’s nothing like putting the words “Singapore” and “all-you-can-eat” together to get me all hot under the collar.

Oh look, proper satay sticks, and not the massive chicken breast monstrosities that we usually get in Sydney!

Each table also got a single Singapore Chilli Crab to share, which, while authentic in its sauce, was a bit of a waste of time on the size. See, with crab, there’s always a effort-to-enjoyment ratio. The meat that you get from all the work picking the crab clean should be worth the time taken to do it. And with this, it was just a bit, well, imbalanced.

And my golden ratio was violated.

The rest of the offerings – chicken rice? YAAASSS – was actually quite authentic and well-done, considering that it can be hard to get the specific ingredients and skill in Sydney. The chicken was silky and tender, and the condiment game was strong with this one.

The dessert spread was the most impressive of the lot, mixing traditional dessert items, like Pulut Hitam, a black glutinous rice and coconut porridge, with more modern takes like the pandan roulette. Oh and the pandan gelato? Smooth as silk and rich like a colonial master. Best pandan gelato I’ve had, well, ever.

It was a great way to ease some of the homesickness I’ve had for Singapore food, without the hassle of you know, actually leaving the country. And the best part of the Shangri-la wasn’t even that they flew the chefs in, oh no, it was the service. The waiters were omnipresent and invisible all at once, and missing cutlery and drinks mysteriously appear before we even think to ask for them.

Well done, Shangri-la, well done. *slow claps*

This meal was independently paid for.

Shayan Quarter @ Cafe Mix
176 Cumberland Street, The Rocks
Sydney, NSW
Phone: 02 9250 6206
Website: http://www.shangri-la.com/sydney/shangrila/dining/restaurants/cafe-mix/

Sydney Food Blog Review of Gelato Messina, Darlinghurst

Be still my beating heart: Gelato Messina, Darlinghurst

Review September 9, 2015

No, like cardiac-arrest-literally.

Gelato Messina’s Dessert Bar in Darlinghurst has always been OTT in their creations, but when you have a collaborator like ex-Hartyard Andy Bowdy, you know that you’re in for a real treat. Or a sugar spike so high it can hold its own against the statue of liberty.

Now I am not a sweets person, not by a long shot, but when I do, I like to go all out. And the Rocher Ferrero certainly fits that description: hazelnut and chocolate come together in a soft serve swirl covered with so many shards of wafer and chocolate that you don’t know where the crispy ends and the rich gelato begins.

We honestly couldn’t finish the cone between us two, which seems like such a waste of good food, but truly, I don’t think we were robust enough to finish this cone.

On a serious note, it was well executed, and the whole thing actuslly tasted like a Ferrero Rocher on steroids, which is no easy feat. The staff were polite and efficient, and I really like how they tried to make use of a tiny space to at least give you a place to stop and enjoy the dessert masterpiece you’ve just purchased.

This was independently paid for.

Gelato Messina
Shop 1, 241 Victoria Street
Darlinghurst, NSW
Phone: 02 9331 1588
Website: http://www.gelatomessina.com/au/

Sydney Food Blog Review of Wok On Inn, Zetland

Wok this way: Wok On Inn, Zetland

Review September 7, 2015

I am not who you’d call an adventurer. Even living in Sydney, I’ve seen less of Australia than many tourists. Maybe even less of Sydney.

So when I got an invitation to Wok On Inn to check out their new store in Zetland, I thought it would be a great opportunity to explore another area of Sydney that I’ve never been to. And what better way than to do it with food?

Thai Fish Cakes

Wok On Inn has a good formula working for them and they’re sticking to it: pick and customize your ingredients and sauce, and it will be stir-fried to order. Simple, fast consistent.

Uncle’s Drunken Noodles

Korean Prawn Stir Fry

The Drunken Noodles come highly recommended, and seems to have changed slightly fro the last time I tried it. The sauce is spicier – never a bad thing – and darker than before, and I felt like it’s better mixed into the noodles. For the noodle/chilli-averse amongst you, the Korean Prawn Stir Fry provides a slightly sweet foil to white rice that grows on you the more you eat it. The food is starting to taste less distinctive between the dishes as opposed to before, but that may be to do with the fact that a lot of Asian recipes have ingridients that overlap, and if there was a recipe change then that might affect the uniqueness of the flavour combinations.

Otherwise, this eatery does a bustling lunch trade that’s kept flowing by friendly, bubbly staff, many of whom have Asian backgrounds themselves. And with the classy new apartments and snazzy new shopping centre, you do feel like you’re transported to a city within a city, just with a little less pollution.

Now if only Zetland wasn’t so darn far from the train station.

Insatiable Munchies dined as guests of Wok On Inn.

Wok On Inn
Shop T.09 East Village Shopping Centre
2 Defries Avenue, Zetland NSW 2017
Phone: (02) 8048 6320
Website: http://www.wokoninn.com.au

Sydney Food Blog Review: Taste of Shanghai, World Square

Shanghai’d! Taste of Shanghai, World Square

Review September 6, 2015

Dumpling frenzy is alive and well in Sydney, with every man and his dog attempting the iconic soup dumpling (xiao long bao) – little pastry wrapped parcels of engineering genius that explode with scalding hot soup the moment you bite into it.

What can I say? We’re gluttons for punishment.

Din Tai Fung has been known as the reigning lords of soup dumplings, and in Sydney, it seems, that claim has been challenged by fellow Chinese restaurant giant the Taste of Shanghai.

Pan fried pork dumpling

Of course, one cannot subsist on soup dumplings alone. Well, maybe we can, but probably shouldn’t. So you know, we order other things, too, just as a cover.

…and also cause I was starving.

Pan fried pork buns

Xiao Long Bao (Soup Dumplings)

Braised bamboo shoot

Stir Fried Green Beans with Pork Mince

Olive Fried Rice

Deep Fried Chinese Milk Dough

And the verdict? They do actually serve up a variety of dishes quite well. The service can be a bit impersonal, but really, I wasn’t expecting too much from the gruff manner of the people seating us anyway. At least they’re consistent, right?

The actual soup dumplings pale in comparision to Din Tai Fung, but it’s a good effort, and better than many other places who attempt this structural masterpiece of a dish. Notable dishes include the braised bamboo shoots, olive fried rice and pan-fried pork buns – the fluffy bun equivalent of the soup dumplings, complete with explosive hot soup.

One warning, though, for the high blood pressured amongst us: the food is incredibly uh, seasoned, so you’re probably going to either need lots of plain rice and tea to cut it, or need to drink an entire lagoon of water afterward.

Mermaid sold separately.

This meal was independently paid for.

Taste of Shanghai
Shop 9.07, World Square Shopping Centre
644 George Street
Sydney, NSW
Phone: 02 9261 8832
Website: www.tosau.com.au/

Sydney Food Blog Review of Cafe Cre Asion, Surry Hills

Asian? Asion! Cafe Cre Asion, Sydney

Review September 4, 2015 2 Comments

What do you do after you go on a multi-pork-roll-food-crawl down oxford street? Walk to Surry Hills to get dessert, of course!

And that’s how we found ourselves at Cafe Cre Asion (how do you even pronounce that, anyway?) ordering cookies, macarons and tea on an incredibly full stomach.

This Asian dessert cafe has all the usual suspects…suspect. Matcha features in many of the menu items, including their famous matcha lattes.

The latte was okay, iced, but what really blew me away was the enthusiasm of the service. Sure, there were a few mixups, but they all looked so happy to be there. The macarons were also surprisingly good as well – the roasted rice had a lovely savoury quality to it, and the lychee had an amazing perfume.

A nice place to have afternoon tea with a friend, or takeaway some treats. Be careful of rocking up with big groups though – it’s quite a small space that’s really more suited to uh, intimate catchups.

Or you know, you could just go by yourself and stuff your face with macarons like I wish I did!

This meal was independently paid for.

Cafe Cre Asion
21 Alberta Street, Sydney, NSW
Phone: 02 8317 4856
Website: www.creasion.com.au/

Sydney Food Blog Review of Spice I Am, Surry Hills

Green eggs and…Spice I am, Surry Hills

Review September 2, 2015 2 Comments

Salads aren’t always green. And you know what, some of the most delicious salads I’ve had, have been far from green.

The banana flower, for example, is an amazingly fresh ingredient that has astringent notes, making it a great base for toppings like shrimp, garlic and fried eschallots. At Spice I Am, it was a lovely pile of sweet, salty, spicy, crunchy, and all the goodness inbetween. A little pricey, though, at close to $30, but an incredibly satisfying solo lunch.

Definitely inspires me to maybe create some of my own…with less detriment to my wallet perhaps? I might sound cheap, but I still am trying to justify dropping a cool $30 for lunch when Haymarket is right around the corner. Maybe a trip to Campbell street is in order?

Maybe when I feel less poor. Haha

This meal was independently paid for.

La Grande Bouffe 758 Darling Street Rozelle, NSW Phone: 02 9818 4333 Website: http://www.lagrandebouffe.com.au

Insatiable Munchies dined as guests of Zomato.

East Ocean 421-429 Sussex Street Sydney, NSW Phone: 02 8318 2200 Website: http://www.eastocean.com.au

Insatiable Munchies dined as guests of Tamageta Ya.

Tamageta Ya Shop 5, 197 Military Road Neutral Bay, NSW Phone: (02) 9953 6678 Website: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Tamageta-ya/688951367784037

This meal was independently paid for.

Bloody Mary’s 332 Victoria Street, Darlinghurst Phone: 02 9360 5568 Website: http://www.bloodymaryssydney.com.au

This meal was independently paid for.

Shayan Quarter @ Cafe Mix 176 Cumberland Street, The Rocks Sydney, NSW Phone: 02 9250 6206 Website: http://www.shangri-la.com/sydney/shangrila/dining/restaurants/cafe-mix/

This was independently paid for.

Gelato Messina Shop 1, 241 Victoria Street Darlinghurst, NSW Phone: 02 9331 1588 Website: http://www.gelatomessina.com/au/

Insatiable Munchies dined as guests of Wok On Inn.

Wok On Inn Shop T.09 East Village Shopping Centre 2 Defries Avenue, Zetland NSW 2017 Phone: (02) 8048 6320 Website: http://www.wokoninn.com.au

This meal was independently paid for.

Taste of Shanghai Shop 9.07, World Square Shopping Centre 644 George Street Sydney, NSW Phone: 02 9261 8832 Website: www.tosau.com.au/

This meal was independently paid for.

This meal was independently paid for.

Spice I Am 90 Wentworth Ave Surry Hills, NSW Phone: (02) 9280 0928 Website: http://spiceiam.com/spice-i-am-surry-hills

La Grande Bouffe
758 Darling Street
Rozelle, NSW
Phone: 02 9818 4333
Website: http://www.lagrandebouffe.com.au

East Ocean
421-429 Sussex Street
Sydney, NSW
Phone: 02 8318 2200
Website: http://www.eastocean.com.au

Tamageta Ya
Shop 5, 197 Military Road
Neutral Bay, NSW
Phone: (02) 9953 6678
Website: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Tamageta-ya/688951367784037

Bloody Mary’s
332 Victoria Street, Darlinghurst
Phone: 02 9360 5568
Website: http://www.bloodymaryssydney.com.au

Shayan Quarter @ Cafe Mix
176 Cumberland Street, The Rocks
Sydney, NSW
Phone: 02 9250 6206
Website: http://www.shangri-la.com/sydney/shangrila/dining/restaurants/cafe-mix/

Gelato Messina
Shop 1, 241 Victoria Street
Darlinghurst, NSW
Phone: 02 9331 1588
Website: http://www.gelatomessina.com/au/

Wok On Inn
Shop T.09 East Village Shopping Centre
2 Defries Avenue, Zetland NSW 2017
Phone: (02) 8048 6320
Website: http://www.wokoninn.com.au

Taste of Shanghai
Shop 9.07, World Square Shopping Centre
644 George Street
Sydney, NSW
Phone: 02 9261 8832
Website: www.tosau.com.au/

Spice I Am
90 Wentworth Ave
Surry Hills, NSW
Phone: (02) 9280 0928
Website: http://spiceiam.com/spice-i-am-surry-hills