Can you believe that Easter is around the corner already? Where has the year gone?
Well either way, you know what this means: IT’S TIME FOR GUILT FREE CHOCOLATE AGAIN!!!
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White Chocolate Cheesecake Eggs with Lemon Curd Recipe + Giveaway!
Posts tagged Dessert
Stuffed Pancake Cake Recipe
Valentine’s Day is around the corner, and the shops are filled with all sorts of cakes and sweets that you can buy to impress your significant other. Well sometimes a girl can get too darned lazy to bake and assemble a cake, so what do you do? Enter the Stuffed Pancake Cake.
Hello…Kitty Diner, Chatswood
Sometimes it doesn’t matter what the reviews say. If you put a dish like Crispy Lamb Ribs on the menu, I will show up. And I will drag Christine and Simon along with me. Like how we ended up at the Hello Kitty Diner…
And made this.
What happens when you cross a milkshake with a doughnut and a soft serve?
Simon is not impressed.
The Order:
Crispy lamb ribs, $10
With sweet soy, mint, sesame seeds
Southern fried chicken, $10
With waffles, bourbon barrelled maple syrup
Gee Gee Burger, $12
Korean fried chicken, cucumber kimchi, pickled vegetables, Asian slaw
Sweet potato fries, $6
With Miso Mayonnaise
Doughnut Soft Serve
Doughnut
Yuzu curd and white chocolate milkshake, $8
The Food:
Never has there been such a roller coaster of emotions when it comes to a menu. First I got all excited because Warren Turnbull of Chur Burger fame (and just all round chef who knows his food) designed the menu. I mean, how wrong can it get, right?
Then the deluge of reviews came through, and let’s just say that people were less than impressed. Quite a bit less. Reviews ran the gamut of saying that you’d go more for the kitsch of the theme than the food, to saying that it was downright nasty (I’m paraphrasing here). Either way, it didn’t look good for our tastebuds, but I was adamant on getting my hands on those lamb ribs.
Crispy lamb ribs, $10
Ahh lamb ribs. My second favourite of the rib variety – after beef ribs, of course – and I’m glad to say that this doesn’t change things. Lightly coated with corn flour, there was just the slightest crunch before it gives way to unctuous meat, the richness of which is enhanced with the sweet soy sauce. Because sugar is delicious, amirite?
Southern fried chicken, $10
The rest though, didn’t fare quite as well and fell into the “okay” category. The chicken in the Southern Fried Chicken was pretty decent, but the sad state of the waffles let it down. It was stale, and tasted like waffles that had been pre-cooked and heated in the microwave. Even the novelty of having it Hello-Kitty-shaped couldn’t save it.
Gee Gee Burger, $12
The Gee Gee was in a similar boat, with a decent balance of flavours, but dry bun. It’s like you could see where they were trying to go with it, but they never quite got there.
Sweet potato fries, $6
The Sweet Potato Fries were pretty edible, but no where close to the best sweet potato fries I’ve ever had in Sydney. Even with the miso mayo – and you know I’ll eat anything that’s got miso in it.
Doughnut
Doughnut flavoured soft serve
Of the sweets, the Doughnut and Doughnut soft serve was dutifully adorned with Hello Kitty themed decorations, but when it comes down to it, the ice cream tasted like plain vanilla – which is okay except when you’re selling it as doughnut flavoured – and the strawberry flavoured doughnut was so sweet that I’m still buzzing from the sugar high days later.
The real travesty, though, was the Yuzu Curd and White Chocolate Milkshake. It’s as if who made this never had yuzu before. It was faintly chemical in taste, and on top of everything, runny like the texture of milk. We all took a sip each, and the glass was banished to the end of the table, behind the water glasses.
I guess what Simon said really summed up the food, ” I wouldn’t be angry if I was served this again”. Sure, the menu is designed by a really good chef, but it’s a bit like Apple being designed in California – no one said anything about execution. With mostly okay-but-not-mind-blowing dishes, you really start to wonder how much the novelty of it all is really carrying the diner.
Food: 0.5/1
The Service:
The Hello Kitty Diner seems to be staffed mostly by teenage girls, which seems fitting given the theme, no? They aren’t the most experienced of staff, but at least they don’t look like they were tortured into being there, which is saying a lot. They were polite enough, and we really appreciated the little things, like waters being replenished efficiently, but not much personality otherwise.
Well, this one girl did seemed sorry that we pretty much left the milkshake untouched, but that’s about it.
Service: 0.5/1
Value for money:
It’s not the most filling meal you could have at Chatswood, but $10 for a plate of ribs is not too shabby either. The burger was of a similar price and size to Chur, except for the drop in quality, so it’s also not the worst thing you could spend your money on.
But really, you’re there for the kitsch. Let’s not kid ourselves.
Value for money: 0.5/1
The Vibe:
I actually love how the diner is decked out. It actually feels like how I imagined a Hello Kitty Diner would look like as a 10 year-old, and I like how they get the message across without shoving your face in it.
And we all know how I love a good theme. 😉
The Vibe: 1/1
And finally,
There are no illusions here. The Hello Kitty Diner isn’t the epitome of fine dining, and you know what? It never said it was either. It’s there for the fans and people who love the novelty, and by the way, you can eat there too. All we could ask of it is that the food doesn’t suck, and in that regard, we were pleasantly surprised.
Just don’t order that Yuzu curd and white chocolate milkshake. Just please. Don’t.
Bonus Points: 0/1
This meal was independently paid for.
Hello Kitty Diner
The District, Chatswood Interchange
436 Victoria Avenue, Chatswood, Sydney
Website: https://www.facebook.com/hellokittydineraustralia/
Love Dem Apples, Surry Hills
This candy apple business is just so new to me. I never ever had a toffee apple, and I wouldn’t know where to start! I mean, are all toffee apples created equal? Where in the apple are you meant to bite into, so you don’t break your teeth?
I’ve got sensitive teeth, you know.
Well, maybe caramel apples might be the place to start. Love Dem Apples is serving up this healthy unhealthy treat (I believe that “North American style caramel apples” is the official name?) in the trendy Surry Hills, just ripe (teehee) for an after dinner treat.
The Order:
Peanut butter Chocolate Apple
Strawberry Caramel Apple with Pop Rocks
The Food:
I know it’s been a while, but I’m still not quite sure what I think of it. The concept is simple – Soft caramel coats the outside of a crisp Granny Smith apple, with other flavours added to complement. Visually they look very beautiful, and gifting these would look as impressive as gifting a box of donuts, just more novel.
I’m got the peanut butter chocolate apple, because peanut butter + chocolate + apple = AMAZINGGGG.
Peanut butter caramel apple
In this case, though, it felt a bit like the ratios were off for me. The tartness of the Granny Smith apple overwhelmed any sweetness, and while it’s healthier to have just a little bit of sweets with your apple, I don’t think any of us are actually expecting a healthy dessert, are we? I’d almost rather have apple pieces with peanut butter chocolate caramel poured over – makes it easier to eat, too.
Strawberry Pop Rock Apple
Jen’s Strawberry and Pop rocks combo garnered much the same response – the idea is right, just the ratios were a touch off for us.
There was an option for extra caramel sauce for $1 ($1.50?) I think, but if you got the apples to-go, you might not have known until it was too late. Also, it can get mighty messy trying to eat a whole apple dipped in molten caramel sauce.
The Service:
It’s hard to fault service when the people behind the counter look so happy to be there. I mean, given that it’s owner Joe and his mum (when we went), I’m sure they have a vested interest, but still. Very friendly and chatty, and clearly very happy with their own product.
They also very helpfully cut up my apple for me to make it easier to eat, which I appreciate.
Value for money:
At about $7 for a basic caramel apple (more for the premium ones) it’s a bit on the pricey side for me. Especially when you can get a really satisfying baller donut for the same price. But it DOES take a lot of work, and I’m sure shop rent in Surry Hills cost heaps, so it’s understandable.
Not ideal, but understandable at least.
The Vibe:
Brightly lit with all types of decorated apples in rows, this shop is part Willy Wonka whimsy, part Julia Childs homely. And with Jo actually making these apples during shop downtime, it really feels like you’re stepping into his kitchen, in his house.
There’s even a little bench space if you’d like to eat in, but these apples are definitely more of a grab’n’go type food.
And finally,
I’m all for the Sydney food scape getting different foods, and Love Dem Apples is doing just that – presenting something different. I want to love the apples more because the concept is fabulous, but somehow the execution doesn’t quite work for me. Worth a try if you were wondering what they’re like, though, but personally, it’s more the novelty of it than anything else.
This meal was independently paid for.
Love Dem Apples
454 Cleveland Street
Surry Hills, NSW
Phone: 02 8317 4842
Website: https://www.facebook.com/lovedemapplez/
A quick pash: Passion Tree, Chatswood
Foodie friends are the best. They feed you, they eat with you…and they don’t judge you when you decided to eat a crap ton of sugar and call it dinner.
In fact, they’ll do it with you.
Selection of Macarons
That’s pretty much what happened when Simon, Christine and myself went to the opening night of Passion Tree at the new The District Dining in Chatswood. We pretty much had a “give me one of everything” moment, and it’s no child’ s play, let me tell you that much.
And it didn’t help that I was prepping some food at home before the event and only had roast chicken skin to eat. Yes. The whole chicken.
ARE YOU PROUD OF ME NOW MA?? ARE YOU PROUD OF ME???!!!
Green Tea Bingsu
Anyhoo, you know how sugar always seems like a good idea as a kid because you pretty much don’t remember the crash afterward? Like how women who go through childbirth supposedly have some sort of amnesia that makes that forget the worst of the ordeal?
Yeah. No such luck here. We knew we were heading straight for a sugar crash, and we were going down in a blaze of glory.
Original Honey Toast
We started off with macarons, which were surprisingly good in texture, but lacking in the flavour department. And in the age of Adriano Zumbo, there’s no reason to have bland macarons. The Chocolate didn’t much taste like chocolate, and the Blueberry left us scratching our heads wondering what we just ate.
The Jasmine was the best of the lot, bringing out lovely floral notes that made a macaron refreshing. Salted caramel and Strawberry came a close second, with actual oozing strawberry sauce coming out of the bright pink macaron.
We then had the Green Tea Bingsu, which is a Korean dessert made of finely shaved ice and topped with all sorts of ingredients, from fruit, to cereal, to ice cream. yes, it IS customary to have ice cream on top of your shaved ice, and don’t let anybody tell you different.
Unfortunately though, this was no Kanzi cafe and its towering pile of melon and snowflakes. In this case the actual shaved ice was not quite finely shaved enough, and somehow managed to be a touch watery. The green tea ice cream was quite nice but not especially so, and the cereal and azuki toppings made it all like a Japanese parfait. So points for that.
The Original Honey Toast gallantly rode in and saved the day – crispy-on-the-outside-fluffy-on-the-inside toast (or should I say, loaf) was drizzled with sauce and covered with ice cream and whipped cream. And a blueberry sauce on the side, just for funsies. I really enjoyed how the really absorbed all of the melted ice cream and sauce while retaining its crunch, and it gave me the same warm, fuzzy feeling like when you dip garlic bread in soup. But sweet.
Think about it. Yeah, you know that feeling.
Frozen Blended Drinks (Turkish Delight, Chocolate and Green Tea)
And this point we were about to keel over in a sugar crash so large it would reduce any rational adult into a floor-lying-air-kicking tantrum, so we decided to wash it all down…with sugary ice blended drinks.
DO. NOT. JUDGE. ME. JUST DON’T.
The Turkish Delight was my favourite of the lot, with actual Turkish delight pieces in the rose and chocolate flavoured drink. Colour me impressed. And pink. Like the colour of Turkish delight. It did get a touch cloyingly sweet about halfway through, but that may just be influenced by the fact that we were already hitting that wall of sugar rush. Just maybe.
Smores Waffle
And you know what the treatment is when you hit a wall where you think you can’t go on any more? You push past the pain. It’s exactly like running. Or an all you can eat.
Same same, really.
So we head right back down the rabbit hole with waffles.
Caramel Popcorn Waffle
We were pushing past that wall so hard, we ordered two waffles. TWO. Take that, sugar crash. The S’mores waffle was a diabetes-inducing Nutella-marshmallow-strawberries-and-cream, while the Caramel Popcorn was a more straightforward caramel sauce/popcorn/cream sorta deal.
The S’mores coulda really don’t with some actual blowtorching of the marshmallow – rather than just the pillowy white gooey state it was in – Aqua S style. And no Nutella. Please no Nutella. It just pushed it over the top, and gave me that sticky peanut-butter-on-the-roof-of-your-mouth sticky feeling. Caramel Popcorn was heaps better, but really should be enjoyed without cream.
Repeat after me. Whipped cream does not make everything better.
I like that Passion Tree joins the ranks of other late night dessert cafes like Max Brenner and Oliver Brown without completely cornering you into the chocolate corner. It may be sacrilegious to say, but I don’t always want chocolate in my dessert, thank you very much. Sure, it’s not crazy amazing in terms of the food, but with a tiny kitchen just for assembly, it’s really more about giving you a bright space to have a seat with your friends and while the night away over some sugar. And I think they’ve done that nicely.
Not everyone can be a Cafe Creasion, you know.
Insatiable Munchies dined as guests of Passion Tree.
Passion Tree
The District Dining
Chatswood Interchange
436 Victoria Avenue
Chatswood NSW
Website: http://www.passiontree.com.au/chatswood-interchange.html
Sfaglia wha? Pasticceria Tamborrino
What happens when three food bloggers get together to make Danish pastries? Lobster tail happens, that’s what. A discussion about cake boss and egg tarts became one about a super flaky concoction known as Sfagliatelle, a.k.a. the Lobster Tail, that’s been injected with a flavoured cream.
Because, you know, how else would it be filled?
NUTELLA, THAT’S HOW.
I’d never tried it, and I barely had time to register the shocked looks on Simon’s and Christine’s faces before I was being ushered into the car and toward Pasticceria Tamborrino, where I hear that their Lobster Tails are legit.
And I may not know about what makes a legit Lobster Tail, but I must say that these ARE THE WORK OF THE DEVIL. They were put there to condemn you to a hell of always having the lobster-tail-cravings, because once you go lobster tail, you never go back. Pastry that shatters with every bite only to give way to a velvety, vanilla scented, sweetened cream.
Life will never be the same again.
Damn you Simon and Christine. Damn you.
This meal was independently paid for.
Pasticceria Tamborrino
75 Great North Road
Five Dock, Sydney, NSW
Phone: 02 9712 1461
Website: http://www.pasticceriatamborrino.com.au
Be still my beating heart: Gelato Messina, Darlinghurst
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/
Asian? Asion! Cafe Cre Asion, Sydney
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/
D’oh nut: The Whisk and Crumb, Lover’s Markets
Never since the renaissance has there been a revival so rampant like that of the humble doughnut. Mostly made with yeast leavened dough that’s been deep fried and coated in sugar, the humble treat with a hole has now been refined and expanded to gastronomical proportions, with every filling, frosting, and topping you can get.
In other words – in this day and age – there’s no reason to produce a bad doughnut.
Pretzel and Peanut Butter Doughnut
So when I saw The Whisk and Crumb at the Parramatta Lovers Markets, I instantly caved to my sugar cravings. After all, who can resist chocolate topped doughnuts with popcorn, peanut butter, milky ways, and other delicious things designed to trigger an insulin spike to end all insulin spikes?
Milky way and chocolate doughnut
Unfortunately, these doughnuts are better conceptually than in execution. And expensive, to boot. Two tiny doughnuts cost $10 (or $5.50) for one, and while the toppings were inventive, the texture of the actual doughnuts were cakey, and dry. And if I wanted to just buy candy, I would’ve just gone into the confectionary aisle and bought candy.
So much promise, so much disappointment. D’oh!
This meal was independently paid for.
The Whisk and Crumb
Lovers Markets
Centenary Square, Parrmatta NSW 2150
Phone: +61 2 4782 3975
Website: https://instagram.com/thewhiskncrumb/
Varying degrees of…Celsius Dessert Bar, Chatswood
Nitrogen frozen treats seem to be all the rage right now, doesn’t it? And with good reason: the low freezing point of liquid nitrogen makes the ice cream super smooth, and the clouds of vapour provides a dramatic way to watch your ice cream getting made!
Located near the new Chatswood transport interchange, Celsius Dessert Bar has a small range of nitrogen-frozen gelato to choose from, coupled with thoughtful toppings to create a full-fledged dessert.
Because ice cream can always use some topping. 😉
Watermelon Splash
Monkey Magic
Simon and I shared a Watermelon Splash and Monkey Magic, and we were about to go for a third, but…well, we really shouldn’t. Haha. The Monkey Magic really reminded me of Ben and Jerry’s Chunky Monkey, except a little lighter. The chocolate cookies and the bruleed bananas were a very nice touch, and made for a fantastic dessert.
The Watermelon Splash on the other hand, would have been much better off without the topping – the honeycomb had a very slight burnt flavour to it, and made the whole thing taste…savoury. The gelato itself was really refreshing, and light, and tasted of fresh watermelons, which is, well, a good thing.
I really wanted to go back and try the other flavours, but I don’t know if I can go past the Monkey Magic!
Banana flavoured anything is my kryptonite. Go figure.
This was independently paid for
Celsius Dessert Bar
Kiosk 4 Chatswood Bus Interchange
436 Victoria Ave
Chatswood, NSW
Phone: (02) 8068 6895
Website: http://www.celsiusdessertbar.com.au