Posts tagged Food Court

Attack of the giant squid: Cheers Cut, Chatswood

Review
Sydney Food Blog Review of Cheers Cut, Chatswood

Sydney Food Blog Review of Cheers Cut, Chatswood: Giant Fried Squid

So too much sugar is bad for you. We know this. I mean, we can definitely feel the sugar crash coming on when we haven’t had enough sugar, right? The high before the fall? And that’s when you need something to cut it, to make yourself feel better. Something like…

Fried chicken.

Sydney Food Blog Review of Cheers Cut, Chatswood: Giant Fried Chicken

After Simon, Christine and myself all but staggered out of Passion Tree with a self-induced sugar coma, we wandered into the deserted District Dining area (you know, where Tim Ho Wan is?) and saw, lit like the gods themselves were pushing us to eat it, Cheers Cut chicken.

Hot Star-sized chicken is crumbed and fried, Taiwanese style, and you get to choose a sauce or a dusting of flavour. We did chilli, as it would have left the chicken more crispy than if it was drowned in sauce. Not that there’s anything wrong with that.

And because we didn’t want the chicken to get lonely, we also got a Fried Giant Squid. Which wasn’t too large to the other squids, I guess, but a bit large to the chicken.

Sydney Food Blog Review of Cheers Cut, Chatswood: Giant Fried Squid

The chicken wasn’t quite as moreish as I was hoping it would be, but I did love the plum seasoning on the squid, whinch had the tender on the inside and crispy on the outside thing going for it.

And you know what, it DID end up cutting the sugar, which was all we wanted from it.

Mission accomplished.

This meal was independently paid for.
Cheers Cut
Shop P3, The District
Podium Level
Chatswood Interchange
436 Victoria Avenue
Chatswood, NSW
Website: http://www.cheerscut.com.au

Cheers Cut Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

Drive-by eating: Snag Stand, Sydney CBD

Drive-by Eating Review
Chilli Cheese Fries from the Snag Stand in Sydney

Chilli Cheese Fries from the Snag Stand in Sydney

When most people visit the Snag Stand, they are probably interested in getting a hotdog. Or you know, a snag. But not me.

What I’m interested in, is Chilli Cheese Fries. Takeaway, of course.

Chilli Cheese Fries from the Snag Stand in Sydney

The Order: Chilli Cheese Fries.

The Taste: It had a fantastic sauce and cheese to fries ratio. As much as I bask in the glory of the amazing potato, I do like it saucy when it comes to an order of loaded fries. Like, to the point of sogginess saucy. This one wasn’t quite at pudding level, but the requirement of a fork made me a happy little spud indeed.

The Service: Given that you order at a counter and wait for the buzzer to set off, it doesn’t give me much to judge in terms of service. They’re polite enough, I guess, but sometimes I get distracted by the number of people just standing by hanging out, even when there’s a lunch crowd going on.

The Convenience: Located inside the crazy busy food court of Westfield Sydney, their buzz-and-collect system actually works out quite well in the middle of a lunch rush. It’s not exactly the fastest order on a 30min lunch break, but then very little is when it’s crowded and made to order.

The Value for Money: At $7.90 (so, $8 essentially) you could get a better meal in the Sydney CBD. But if you have to be in the Westfield food court, it’s really not too bad. I do think it’s worthwhile though, to add the extra $1 to change the chips to onion rings. Because onion rings with cheese, chilli and sauce is BOSS.

This meal was independently paid for.

Snag Stand
Lv5, Westfield Sydney
188 Pitt St Sydney, NSW 2000
Phone: 02 9221 9600
Website: http://www.snagstand.com.au/

Snag Stand on Urbanspoon

Drive by eating: Sabbaba, Sydney

Drive-by Eating Review 2 Comments
Falafel from Sabbaba in Westfield Sydney

Falafel from Sabbaba in Westfield Sydney

Falafels are tricky business, and when you add the words franchise or chain in to the mix, you’re really taking a gamble. Now add a picky middle-eastern man, and you’re really skating on thin ice.

Sam speaks constantly about this mysterious falafel man and his cart just down the street where he grew up in Iran, and how he made falafels that were crazy crispy on the outside, and melt-in-your-mouth moist on the inside. Falafels we’ve had in Sydney have since not been up to scratch to him, either ending up soggy, or wayyyyyyy too dry on the inside.

But what about Sabbaba?

Baklava

The Order: half a dozen mini falafels, and a baklava.

The Taste: the falafels are fried to order, so you’re ensured a hot, tasty bite. The small size gives you a good amount of surface area to ensure maximum crispiness, without compromising on moistness inside, and it just makes all-round deliciousness. The baklava, on the other hand, was just a touch stale, and a bit of a nothing, I’m afraid. I’ve definitely had much better elsewhere.

The Service: It’s a food court store, so no table service to judge here. But they are efficient and polite, and you’re not left standing there staring into the kitchen, hoping to make eye contact with a staff member.

The Convenience: Located in the upstairs food court of Westfield Sydney, they’re pretty easy to get to, especially if you’re already in the CBD. Getting out, however, is a bit of a nightmare since the centre requires you to navigate through the maze of escalators in order to exit the building, so make sure that you allow for the time if you’re on a lunch break.

On the food front, they have a nice mix of ready-made and made-to-order food, so you’re never kept waiting too long for your order. It’s not the fastest though – in order for the freshness of fried-to-order falafels, you’re trading off a little in time.

The Value for Money:They’re not the cheapest option in the CBD – and I’m including Chinatown as part of the CBD – but they are one of the more affordable options in the Westfield food court. And I must say that they’re pretty reliable as a chain, which is invaluable if you’re a time-poor person in the CBD with only 5 minutes to make your decision for lunch. That being said, I’ve never tried their main options, but the snacky type foods receive a big thumbs up from me.

Sabbaba
86-100 Market Street, Level 5
Westfield Sydney, NSW 2000
Phone: 02 9223 3315
Website: http://www.sabbaba.com.au/

Sabbaba on Urbanspoon

Ramen O-San, Haymarket

Review 2 Comments
Tonkotsu Ramen from Ramen O-San

Tonkotsu Ramen from Ramen O-San

Sydney is truly in the grips of pork fever – and I mean the good kind. From crackling, to rolls, to bacon, we are truly all about that pig, bout that pig, no treble.

And right smack in the middle of all the swine craze is the tonkotsu ramen. Believed to have started in the Hakata/Fukuoka region in Japan, this ramen begins with a thick, rich soup made with pork bones simmered for hours, and creamy with emulsified pork fat and gelatin. The thickness and richness of the soup may vary from store to store, but there’s no doubt that the tonkotsu is a signature of the Fukuoka prefecture.

Which is why the first recommendation off the menu at Ramen O-San – the 7th store internationally by Chef Kazuteru Oh after gaining much recognition in Japan – is the Tonkotsu, followed closely by the Sumo Ramen, which is a pork and chicken mixed broth base.

Sumo Ramen from Ramen O-SanSumo Ramen, $12.80

Now this bowl of Sumo Ramen was HUGE. Like this bowl could double up as a sailboat for fictional children’s shows characters. I guess that’s why they call it..sumo.

Never mind, I’m a bit slow on the uptake.

Sumo Ramen Noodles from Ramen O-San

A mixture of pork and chicken broth (vegetarian and Jewish friends, look away) is ladled over thick straight noodles and topped with a heaping mound of bean sprouts and cabbage, and 2 rectangular pieces of kakuni pork – pork belly stewed in a soy based sauce till lip smackingly savoury and fall apart tender.

Like Asian bacon almost, except not fried.

The kakuni pork was a delight for me – salt is my kryptonite, or so says my doctor – and the soup was very manageable, since the chicken broth thinned out the pork broth considerably. I wasn’t, however, as big a fan of the amount of cabbage and bean sprouts in the bowl. I know I know, 5-a-day and all, but it got to the point where there was a bitterness from the veg that overwhelmed the whole bowl like a crew in the midst of mutiny.

Tonkotsu Ramen from Ramen O-SanTonkotsu Ramen, $9.80

I guess I’m a bit more of a simple girl who likes a simple bowl, and the Tonkotsu Ramen in all its porky glory really brought me to a happy place.

Not to mention the slightly more practical size.

Tammi holding a bowl of Tonkotsu Ramen

See? Much more manageable.

Tonkotsu Ramen Noodles from Ramen O-San

The ramen for the Tonkotsu was also much thinner. All the better to slurp up that soup with my dear. says the wolf. The noodles here are slightly softer than I’m used to – it could be the photo taking but I take photos everywhere – but the broth came swinging with the flavours. It was a pure, unadulterated pork flavour, complete with the luxurious finish of pork fat. Texturally not as thick as say, Gumshara, but as I’m informed by more than one Japanese friend, NO ONE makes it as thick as Gumshara. And the thin slices of pork belly on top had just the right amount of tenderness to fat, making this my favourite for the day.

And what does Sam think?

Sam slurping up ramen soup

He says while finishing the rest of the soup in the bowl.

Well, there’s a reason why he’s not a food blogger.

I’d be very interested in trying the other menu items on my next visit – I think I can hear a tsukemen – dry noodles dipped in a thick seafood sauce – calling my name.

Insatiable Munchies dined as guests of Ramen O-San.

Ramen O-San
Shop B01, Dixon House Food Court
Cnr Dixon & Little Hay St
Haymarket, NSW 2000
Website: http://www.facebook.com/osanramensydney

O-San Ramen on Urbanspoon

Drive-by Eating: Bing Boy, Chadstone

Drive-by Eating Melbourne Review Travel
Bing Boy Crepe being made

As much as foodies like to pretend that we eat fantastic food ALL the time, the truth of the matter is that sometimes we are driven to settle for the average; to see food as fuel/something to prevent us from embarking on a murderous rampage sparked by irritation borne of hunger.

And once in awhile, those food court solutions turn up something surprising, that make us feel a lot more foodie, and a lot less food victim.
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