Posts tagged Lunch

Cinderella ahoy! Sweet Pumpkin Soup, Eastwood

Review
The Big Breakfast from Sweet Pumpkin Soup in Eastwood comes with baked beans, mushrooms, bacon, eggs, wilted spinach, grilled tomato half and thick slices of white toast.

The Big Breakfast from Sweet Pumpkin Soup in Eastwood comes with baked beans, mushrooms, bacon, eggs, wilted spinach, grilled tomato half and thick slices of white toast.

In my household, brunch on a weekend is often nothing more than a nice idea that other people do. See, all the fancy pants brunch places are located inside the city, and otherwise, the cheapskate inside me insists that I can whip up the usual breakfast fare in my own kitchen.

And really, I don’t want to have to hop on a train first thing in the morning on a day off just to get some food.

A mug of cappuccino is topped with thick frothy milk and a dusting of cocoa powder.Cappucino

But Sweet Pumpkin Soup opened up just down the road, and besides the usual breakfast fare, they served up cheesy garlic bread first thing in the morning.

Cheese. On garlic bread. FOR BREAKFAST. Me likey.

Iced Chocolate from this cafe is served in a tall glass, topped with whipped cream and a sprinkle of cocoa powderIced Chocolate

So off we went. Drinks first, of course, because some people can’t eat till they’ve had their Cappucino. Fair enough. Just gives me an excuse to get an Iced Chocolate! They were nice and rice, though not outstanding. But it was a good start.

The Big Breakfast from Sweet Pumpkin Soup in Eastwood comes with baked beans, mushrooms, bacon, eggs, wilted spinach, grilled tomato half and thick slices of white toast.Big Breakfast

And for the interest of comparing apples with apples and bacon with bacon, we did also order the Big Breakfast. I was actually pleasantly surprised by this plate – the serving was actually enough for the two of us to share (we’re not big on breakfasts usually) and the food was cooked well. The toast was my favourite bit – no sad slices of supermarket white bread here, they toasted sweet white Asian milk bread, and that soft fluffy interior of the thick slices made all the difference.

Pumpkin soup is served with a thick dollop of cream, and an aromatic basket of fluffy garlic breadPumpkin Soup

Of course, we couldn’t not order the Pumpkin Soup at a place called Sweet Pumpkin Soup, right? So I indulged my Cinderella fantasies and got a bowl, which was really half a bowl…cause the bowl was very tall.

/crickets.

You know what I mean.

It was rich and thick, and was actually quite satisfying and creamy. Especially with the Cheesy Garlic Bread.

Garlic bread is topped with melted cheese and served in a pretty white basket.Cheesy Garlic Bread

Yes, as promised, the cheesy garlic bread. And it actually lived up to my lofty expectations. Again, the sweet Asian milk bread was used, and it gave me the distinct impression of eating a cloud. A buttery, savoury, makes-garlic-breath-worthwhile cloud. And the cheese gave me a fantastic soft foil for the lightly crisp crust that gave way to my determined attempts to get it all in my belly before The Boy noticed it was even on the table. 

Not quite successful, but I guess I can share. 

It was a lovely morning out, and considering that we were both a bit grizzly first thing in the morning, I think the staff managed us very well. Now for more of that garlic bread…

This meal was independently paid for.

Sweet Pumpkin Soup
106 Rowe St
Eastwood, NSW 2122
Phone: 0433 301 173
Website: https://www.facebook.com/sweetpumpkinsoup

Sweet Pumpkin Soup on Urbanspoon

Lobster with your eggs? Rustic Pearl, Surry Hills

Review
Bosphorus Benedict, from Rustic Pearl in Surry Hills, Sydney

rose-infused watermelon salad with watercress, mozzarella and capers.

I think it’s fair to say that Sydney has a cafe on every corner, and then some. Whether it’s a coffee obsession or a casual-dining obsession, we seem to express it in a myriad of coffee and food options.

But I haven’t yet had lobster to go with my eggs. Until now.

Turkish Apple and Rose Iced TeaTurkish Apple and Rose Iced Tea, with Lemon and Mint

We started off first with a couple of refreshing drinks.

Avocado Smoothie with honey and pistachioAvocado Smoothie, with honey and pistachio

The Turkish Apple Iced Tea with Rose Lemon and Mint was lovely and what you’d expect an iced tea to be, but the Avocado Smoothie was the one that really caught my attention. Notes of honey and pistachio were laced through the creamy smoothie, and it was a really nice departure from the crazy sweet Avocado smoothies I’m used to having from Vietnamese restaurants.

bosphorus benedict from rustic pearl in surry hillsBosphorus Benedict

And the main event. The Bosphorus Benedict involves two toasted buns topped with smashed avocado, poached eggs, housemade hollandaise and bay lobster, finished with coriander and chilli.

Oozing egg yolk from the bosphorus benedict

I can’t even begin to explain how ridiculously luxurious this breakfast is. Besides the fact that there was a perfectly cooked lobster sitting on your breakfast plate – and trust me, because I detest overcooked shellfish with the fire of a thousand suns – there is the texture of a creamy buttery hollandaise, mixed in with the oozing yolk, mixed in with that smashed ripe avocado. Besides the fact that the bread was toasted so well it was just slightly hard to cut and eat, this plate was utter perfection for me.

rose-infused watermelon salad with watercress, mozzarella and capers.Rose infused Watermelon Salad with Watercress, Mozarella and Capers

And they’re not a one-hit wonder either. We also ordered the Rose infused Watermelon Salad with Watercress, Mozarella and Capers to freshen things up. It comes with an option of grilled scallops on the side, but it doesn’t need it. The cubes of watermelon was lightly scented with rose like a fruity Turkish delight that Mother Nature ought to have made, and the mozzarella and capers brought a great contrast in flavour and textures to keep things interesting. The watercress, I could’ve done without, but it really needed something else crisp and fresh on the plate, so fair enough.

Besides the food, the service was also commendable. We were put on the waitlist when we first arrived, and were still seated relatively quickly. They were attentive without hovering, and managed the crowded, packed restaurant with apparent grace and calm.

Well done Rustic Pearl, well done. /slow clap.

This meal was independently paid for.

Rustic Pearl
415 Crown St
Surry Hills, NSW 2010
Phone: 0406 930 083
Website: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Rustic-pearl/299165660201187

Rustic Pearl on Urbanspoon

Stark Raving…Mad Fo’ Chicks, Eastwood

Review
Spring Onion Korean Fried Chicken

IMG_5105

I’m glad I live in a world where Korean Fried Chicken joints pop up like daisies in the summer. It means variety, choice, and a horizon filled with battered and fried juicy morsels.

And it saddens me when I see what I thought was a busy restaurant all boarded up and closed.
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Shira Nui, Glen Waverley

Melbourne Review Travel
Chirashi Zushi

Food guides used to be released every year, telling people where’s the best place to eat at, drink at, or generally be seen at. But there’s one that’s becoming more powerful than the rest, and gives you to-the-minute updates.

And that guide, is called Instagram.
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Drive-by Eating: Marrickville Pork Roll

Drive-by Eating Review
Pork roll from Marrickville Pork Roll

I was first brought to Marrickville by the promise of banh beo – Vietnamese rice cakes with shrimp, much like chwee kueh, the Singaporean version that’s my absolute favourite.

But instead, I found Banh Mi, and with a queue as long as Marrickville Pork Roll had, you don’t just walk past it.
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Free Burma Cafe, Springvale

Melbourne Review Travel
Htin baw thee tho (Spicy Papaya Salad)

I must admit that even though I’m from the Southeast Asian part of the world, I don’t actually know very much about Myanmar, or Burma as it was called.

My information was pretty limited to The King and I, and now hopefully, Free Burma Cafe.
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Banana Blossom Asian Salads, Bondi

Review
Aerial shot of the Triple Chilli Chicken Salad

It’s summer, and that means it’s the dreaded swimsuit season. Dreaded, for this foodie, because it heralds the end of what’s meant to be seasonal gorging and gluttony. And the beginning of a tenuous time of watchful eating, because we all want a little more beach body, and a little less beached whale.

Enter Banana Blossom Asian Salads, who are touting themselves as an easy breezy healthy lunch solution, just in time for the beach season.
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Dragoncello, Surry Hills

Review 1 Comment

New restaurants are popping up in Sydney like flowers in Spring, and it really takes a lot to make an impression. You’ll need vision, creativity, skill and experience. Hunger, and not just on the part of the diner.

And you know what? New restaurant/bar Dragoncello in Surry Hills are serving up just that.
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Bao Dao Taiwanese Kitchen, Eastwood

Review
A classic bowl of Taiwanese beef noodle soup, served up at Bao Dao Taiwanese kitchen in Eastwood

I remember taking a week-long tour trip around Taiwan with my parents as a teenager. To be honest, all I wanted to do was watch entertainment programmes on TV – you ain’t seen manufactured boybands till you’ve seen Asian boy bands in all their metrosexual glory.

But that single-minded tunnel vision that only teenagers have made me miss out on Taiwanese food, and I’ve been chasing it ever since.
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