Posts tagged Pork Belly

257 Home Kitchen, Eastwood

Review 2 Comments
Sydney Food Blog Review of 257 Home Kitchen, Eastwood

257 Home Kitchen, Eastwood. Sydney Food Blog Review

Coming from a country like Singapore, I’ve been taught from a very early age to trust a queue. That is, if there’s a queue outside a restaurant, they MUST be good. Cause all these people can’t be wrong, right? Especially in an Asian-heavy suburb like Eastwood: if I’m hungry and there are people queueing out the door of 257 Home Kitchen, it should be a safe bet that we’ll have a good dinner.

Right? RIGHT??


The Order:

Pan-seared pork dumpling, $10.80

Jellyfish with scallion oil, $13.80

Braised Pork Belly with Eggs, $22.80

Steamed Cod Fish with Preserved Vegetables, $18.80

Eggplants and Octopus with Soy Bean Paste, $18.80


The Food:

After reading online that the food was authentic and that it was well worth the wait, I decided to put the menu to the test. Yes, we ordered this much food for the blog. Not that I was greedy, or anything.

Pan-seared pork dumpling, $10.80: 257 Home Kitchen, Eastwood. Sydney Food Blog ReviewPan-seared pork dumpling, $10.80

The Pan-seared pork dumpling, $10.80, was okay, if a little doughy for my taste. The filling was appropriately juicy and well, porky, but the there was something vaguely chalky about the wrapping that reminded me of factory-made dumplings that I’ve tasted elsewhere before.

Jellyfish with scallion oil, $13.80: 257 Home Kitchen, Eastwood. Sydney Food Blog ReviewJellyfish with scallion oil, $13.80

The Jellyfish with scallion oil, $13.80, was a little different from the Japanese style jellyfish salads that I’ve had at other restaurants. Rather than thin strips, this one used the thicker parts of the jelly fish, cut into shorter pieces that provided a similar mouth-feel to the tapioca balls that you find at the bottom of your bubble tea, except crunchy instead of chewy. It was also only very lightly seasoned, which does not bode well if you like a little more flavour to go with your jellyfish. A bit meh, and I much prefer the other versions.

Braised Pork Belly with Eggs, $22.80: 257 Home Kitchen, Eastwood. Sydney Food Blog ReviewBraised Pork Belly with Eggs, $22.80

I think the favourite at the table was the Braised Pork Belly with Eggs, $22.80. A classic Chinese dish, this involves cooking cubes of fatty pork belly in a soy based stock, with quail eggs added in for texture. The result is a tender, gelatinous pork, with lots of dark, rich sauce for you to spoon over a bowl of rice.

Steamed Cod Fish with Preserved Vegetables, $18.80: 257 Home Kitchen, Eastwood. Sydney Food Blog ReviewSteamed Cod Fish with Preserved Vegetables, $18.80

I ordered the Steamed Cod Fish with Preserved Vegetables, $18.80, mostly because I haven’t seen many restaurants give the option of Snow Cod (or halibut), and it’s one of my favourite fishes (fish?). Steaming it over a bed of preserved vegetables brought back memories of my mother’s cooking, and the gravy of soy, veg, and juices off the fish seasoned it just enough. A fair warning though: this is no boneless fillet. You’re meant to pick at the fish daintily with chopsticks, or risk a mouthful of prickly bones!

Eggplants and Octopus with Soy Bean Paste, $18.80: 257 Home Kitchen, Eastwood. Sydney Food Blog ReviewEggplants and Octopus with Soy Bean Paste, $18.80

Sam and I ADORE eggplant, and coupled with my love for octopus, the Eggplant and Octopus with Soy Bean Paste, $18.80, seemed like an obvious dish to order for our veg component. This one was a bit of a let down for me. Most eggplant dishes I’ve had in Chinese restaurants are rich and thick, with punchy flavours that bring out the body of the eggplant. This particular one was a bit limp for me – the eggplant was a bad kind of mushy, and somehow the octopus took on nothing of the flavours around it. The rice cakes, though, I did thoroughly enjoy. Slices of chewy cakes litter the dish like pockets of treasure – it was the only reason that I ate this at all.

Food: 0.5/1


The Service:

I’ve never had such a dichotomy of experiences in the same restaurant, on the same visit. We started out in “shockingly bad” territory, with the waitress skipping right past us to the next person in the queue, after a 15min wait. When we asked about it, she said she assumed that we were with the people behind us, even though we were standing fairly far apart from them, were the first people in the queue at this point, and had no contact with them at all. Thankfully, she redeemed herself by immediately offering us a table.

Then during the meal, the service was excellent, with our waters efficiently kept topped up, and our food arriving pretty quickly. It wasn’t hard at all to get their attention, and requests for chilli sauce were filled with no trouble at all. Things were looking up, and the hanger was passing. Well, except for the one bit of confusion where our dumplings took a little longer, and then all of a sudden we were presented with two orders, instead of one. ?

So I guess it’s a middle-of-the-road score for service, since the good and the bad evened out? Still fairly bizarre, though.

Service: 0.5/1


Value for money:

This is definitely NOT somewhere you’d go to dine alone. For one, the portions are quite a bit larger than a single person’s meal, but they also charge you for it.

The jelly fish, for example, was the one I could justify the least – $13.80 for a tiny salad? Not when I can get better just by walking down the street. The eggplant was also a bit on the pricey side for me. Even when you consider the super tiny pieces of octopus, I don’t think I can justify shelling out nearly $20 to order this dish a second time.

Even when you apply Asian metrics to this meal – because the menu is built for sharing, the cost per head gets cheaper if you dine in a larger group – it’s still a fairly expensive meal for the home style dishes that they serve.

And it’s not even in the CBD!

Value for money: 0/1


The Vibe:

I do like the hipster deco of the restaurant (wood and tile surfaces) and the busyness of it all really does add to a modern Asian restaurant sort of feel. The crockery also matched the feel of the interior design, tying it all together in an elegance I appreciate.

The only thing that ruined the illusion for me (which I’m sure was just due to my bad luck on the night) was the super annoying group next to me. About 6 middle aged men and women (I think they were in their 50s) were yelling to each other over the noise of the restaurant…about my food. I kid you not. They were dissecting my choices, the amount of my order, and well, us, right next to our table! We were so close that I could have slapped the main culprit in her smug face if I lacked the control. Just because I’m speaking English doesn’t mean I don’t understand it when you judge me in Cantonese, lady!

But it’s not something the restaurant can really help, so I don’t blame them. Just my bad luck.

Vibe: 1/1


And finally,

So I guess the reports that the food is authentic is fairly correct – it was authentic…to home style cooking. But I’m not sure that I want to pay those sort of prices to eat food that any of my friends’ mums could make at home. No, when I decide to treat myself to a meal out, I’d want to get something that is either labour intensive for a home cook to make, or requires a kind of finesse that only a chef can deliver.

I guess they weren’t lying when they called it “Home Kitchen” though, huh.

I’m not sure that I’ll be stepping back into 257 Home Kitchen any time soon, especially when there are so many more options to check out in Eastwood.

Bonus Points: 0/1

This meal was independently paid for.
257 Home Kitchen
257 Rowe Street
Eastwood, Sydney, NSW
Phone: 02 9874 6118

257 Home Kitchen Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

Jonga Jip, Eastwood

Best in Sydney Review
Sydney Food Blog Review of Jonga Jip, Eastwood

Jonga Jip, Eastwood: Sydney Food Blog Review

When I first heard of Jonga Jip, it was introduced to me as “that place where they wear the orange shirts”. Well, the uniform seemed to have changed since, but the sheer number of banchan (Korean side dishes) is still the stuff of legends.

And did I mention that we get free refills?


The Order:

Wine Pork Belly
Marinated Beef Ribs
Rice


The Food:

Jonga Jip, Eastwood: Sydney Food Blog Review

I must say that in the case of Korean BBQ, I am a creature of habit. Always a pork belly and beef ribs, both marinaded, of course. And they’ve never disappointed.

The beef ribs were butterflied – the chunk of meat thinly sliced out in one continuous flat piece that stemmed out from the bone. The smoke from the tabletop barbecue mixed in with the sweet/salty marinade, and those little pieces of chewy beef just GIVES ME LIFE. My favourite thing to do is to wrap it with a bit of rice in the lettuce leaves (part of the banchan, but more about that later) and top it with the mustard/vinegared onion slices that come with every barbecue order. So fresh, so satisfying.

The pork belly (cut in thick rashes and steeped in rice wine), wasn’t as sweetly boozy as I’m used to, but had a really good distribution of meat to fat ratio, and also made for very good ssam (lettuce wrapped parcels).


The Service:

Like many Asian restaurants with decent food, Jonga Jip is not well known for their service. On the most recent visit, we pretty much had a table overflowing with food and raw meat, but an empty hole in the table (and my heart) where the glowing charcoal should be.

When I asked them after about 5 minutes where the charcoal was, I was told that it was another 15 min wait because they had to light the coals. Sorry, no comprende.

Did they have to wait till I had a full table of uncooked meat before you lit the coals? Do they light the coals on demand?

WHAT IS GOING ONNNNN???

I must say though that otherwise they’re pretty quick with the free side dish refill and water, so I guess I can overlook the one, very bizarre transgression.

If you’re nitpicky about the service, I’d suggest you sit indoors. The tables have push buttons that call the waiters for you – no one gets ignored, and it’s fun for the whole family.

Win/win, right?


Value for money:

We had two marinated meats, three bowls of rice, and a whopping FIFTEEN plates of side dishes, all for a satisfying $53. I think it’s pretty bang for your buck, considering that we all stumbled out of there clutching our bellies like we could never eat again.

I kid, we can always eat again.

As with many Asian restaurants, Jonga Jip follows the math we all know and love: the more people you bring to split the bill with, the more worthwhile it becomes for you as the meat and side dishes get shared. Very good value for a dinner out.


The Vibe:

Always busy, this Korean BBQ joint is very popular amongst the locals, and sometimes has to resort to the number ticketing system. In fact, business is so good that there is also a Jonga Jip II right around the corner.

Inside, the word to describe the atmosphere is “bustling”, as the chatter of hungry diners and sizzle of meats mingle in the smoky air. There’s nothing quite like breathing in that first hand smoke as you fill your belly with meats.

And I mean that in a good way, too. No music needed to get the party pumping – just barbecued meats and good fun.


And finally,

If you do decide to drop by Jonga Jip, please don’t wear your good clothes. And by that, I mean “be prepared to come out smelling like you’ve been roasting over coals yourself”. And never, NEVER, go after a hair-wash.

Please trust me on this. Been there, done that.

And if barbecue isn’t quite your thing, well they do an a la carte menu of rices, dumplings, pancakes and hotpots too. But so does practically every other restaurant in Eastwood. Give Korean BBQ a try if you haven’t already. Trust me, you won’t regret it.

This meal was independently paid for.
Jonga Jip
87 Rowe Street
Eastwood, NSW
Phone: 02 9858 5160

Jonga Jip Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

Chat Thai, Haymarket

Review 1 Comment
Sydney Food Blog Review of Chat Thai, Haymarket

Chat Thai, Haymarket. Sydney Food Blog Review

Ever had that feeling after a meal when you know what you ate, but you don’t know know. Don’t know the name of the dish, don’t know the price, and don’t know how to order it again.

GUYS, THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU DON’T TAKE A PHOTO OF THE MENU. FML.

Asian restaurants are quite notorious about not putting up information on their extensive menus online, and it turns out that even a chain like Chat Thai – with fairly modern sensibilities like having an online presence – is not immune. Which means that the result of an impromptu dinner at Chat Thai in Haymarket is me scrambling for information because I am not even sure what each dish costs indivually because we split the bill.

#FoodBloggerFail

The Order (as best as I can remember/Google):

Mhu Grob Pad Prik King, $15
Stir fried crispy pork belly and Wild ginger in red curry paste.

Padt Thai, $13

Dtum Tardt (specials menu), $13.90 for small
Papaya salad platter with prawn cracker, Thai sausage, pickled crab, egg and rice noodle.

Sticky Rice Durian, $8
Sticky a rice steamed with sweet coconut cream and palm sugar accompanied durian custard and fresh durian.

Voon Kathi, $4.50
Young coconut jelly

The Food:

What can I say, really. To this date Chat Thai has never let me down in terms of food quality (prices are another issue entirely) and no matter which outlet you visit, you know that you’re getting an authentic plate of food. After all, the many MANY Thai people who work at all the outlets simply cannot be wrong, right?

Dtum Tardt (specials menu), $13.90 for small, Chat Thai, Haymarket. Sydney Food Blog ReviewDtum Tardt (specials menu), $13.90 for small

The Som Dtum (papaya salad) and all its incarnations remain my favourite, especially with its heavy aromas of dried shrimp and other preserved seafood. Yeah, you know the smell I’m talking about. If it’s available, go for the share platter on the specials menu (Dtum Tardt) – it elevates the humble salad to a full meal, with rice noodle sticks, Thai sausages, and prawn crackers thrown in.

Mhu Grob Pad Prik King, $15, Chat Thai, Haymarket. Sydney Food Blog Review Mhu Grob Pad Prik King, $15

The Mhu Grob Pad Prik King, $15 was a very pleasant surprise, given that I had no idea what to expect. Firm cubes of pork belly is coated in the fiery red paste – peppery and savoury and perfect on a bed of steamed Jasmine rice. No frills, just the good stuff.

Padt Thai, $13, Chat Thai, Haymarket. Sydney Food Blog Review

The Padt Thai, too, really hit the spot. Sweet, nutty, and fresh (from the raw bean sprouts), this classic plate of thin rice noodles bring me right back to uni days, where it was both staple and indulgence at once. (Read: I ate a lot of it, but felt guilty every time).

Voon Kathi, $4.50, Chat Thai, Haymarket. Sydney Food Blog ReviewVoon Kathi, $4.50

Sticky Rice Durian, $8, Chat Thai, Haymarket. Sydney Food Blog ReviewSticky Rice Durian, $8

Dessert-wise, the Sticky Rice Durian wasn’t quite the “slap some fresh durian on sticky rice and cover it on coconut cream” plate that I was looking for, but I guess they were classing it up a bit. The Voon Kathi, though, was a pleasant surprise. Made with rich coconut cream, I found myself thoroughly enjoying biting into fresh chunks of coconut dotted through the jelly.

Very refreshing.

The Service:

The thing about Asian restaurants with a high turnover: the service is, well, unpretentious. They are super efficient on their end – bringing out food at lightning speed, and refilling water with ninja stealth – but they expect you to be, too. Make up your mind, eat, pay, and let them turnover the table. If you’re a dawdler, I would expect to feel slightly rushed, like the world is playing at 2x speed and you’re stuck trying to catch up.

Mind you, they were NEVER impolite either. Towards the end, we were asked firmly if we had finished ordering and whether the bill could be brought, but never was an explicit word said about needing us to leave. Very tactful, and clear about getting the message across.

Value for money:

Every time I have Asian food in Sydney, a small part of me weeps about how cheap it all is in the home country. But you know what, we are in Sydney and not Thailand, and I’m just going to have to suck it up. As far as the CBD goes, it’s actually really decent food for a fairly decent price, and for the fact that I know it’s a brand I can rely on, I’m willing to pay that price, and possibly more, every single time.

The Vibe:

Let me start this bit by saying that we went on a 32C day, not realising that the restaurant IS NOT AIR CONDITIONED. However did I miss this before?!

Well, I’ve no idea, but part of me swears that it’s a convenient ruse to bring the element of Asia into Sydney, where we’re entirely too comfortable.

Lack of air conditioning aside, there is an easy status quo in Chat Thai though – the waitstaff clearly aren’t here be your next BFF, which takes the pressure off making small talk with them while they’re just trying to do their jobs.

And finally,

Chat Thai is like an institution for Thai food in Sydney – the brand is everywhere, and we have come to trust that they’ll serve up good food consistently, no matter which branch you visit.

Haymarket remains my favourite, though. There’s just something about being in Sydney’s little ThaiTown that heightens the experience.

And besides, any excuse to buy Thai groceries, emirate?

This meal was independently paid for.

Chat Thai
20 Campbell St
Haymarket NSW 2000
Phone: +61 2 9211 1808
Website: www.chatthai.com.au

Chat Thai Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

La Puerta, Neutral Bay

Review
Sydney Food Blog Restaurant Review of La Puerta, Neutral Bay

La Puerta, Neutral Bay. Sydney Food Blog Restaurant Review

Tell me something: when you walk into a restaurant, are you looking for something “authentic”? What’s does it mean, anyway? Can Steak and Chips at the pub be considered “authentic” to any cuisine?

Those are the kind of questions I wonder about when I get invited to La Puerta, serving up a mix of influences from the South American region, to the high level of critique of my South American friends.

And you know how passionate they get.

The Order:

Pan Latino: La Puerta, Neutral Bay. Sydney Food Blog Restaurant ReviewPan Latino

Small bites

Pan Latino
Arepitas
Tiraditos

Gaucho steak: La Puerta, Neutral Bay. Sydney Food Blog Restaurant Review Gaucho steak

Larger Plates

Coastal prawn cocktail
Chicharron
Gaucho steak

Pastelistos: La Puerta, Neutral Bay. Sydney Food Blog Restaurant Review Pastelitos

Sweets

Pastelitos
Tres leches cake

The Food:

The thing about serving up food from a region with such a different climate to Australia? The authenticity will always be an issue because produce will always be an issue. Not to mention the different cultural expectation when it comes to food.

The result? My South American friend wasn’t a fan of most things, while I quite liked that it was something different on the Sydney dining landscape.

Arepitas: La Puerta, Neutral Bay. Sydney Food Blog Restaurant Review Arepitas

The Arepitas, for example, polarised the discussion. Smaller versions of Arepas (corn bread sandwiches filled with meat and are usually pretty heavy), the Arepitas presented textural issues for him, while I was just happy that it did sit as heavy in my belly like the others that I’ve tried. Was it my favourite at the table? No, but I didn’t actively dislike it like he did.

Tiraditos: La Puerta, Neutral Bay. Sydney Food Blog Restaurant Review Tiraditos

What we could all agree on, though, was that the Tiraditos (think a white fish carpaccio with hit of tangy citrus and chilli) was absolutely lovely. It was fresh and colourful, and everything that you could hope for on a balmy summer evening.

Coastal prawn cocktail: La Puerta, Neutral Bay. Sydney Food Blog Restaurant Review Coastal prawn cocktail

Also on the hit list for me? The Coastal Prawn Cocktail. Kinda like a ceviche but not, the citrus cured prawn was served with plantains and a tomato based sauce, and the combination just made all my taste sensors go off at once. In a good way. Very moreish, and definitely whets the appetite.

Chicharron: La Puerta, Neutral Bay. Sydney Food Blog Restaurant Review Chicharron

The Chicharron was also lovely, because it takes an especially sad person to mess up crispy pork belly served with chorizo crumbs. COME ON! Does that not just speak of piggy genius? Seriously though, it was a really nice dish, save for the one critique that the chorizo crumbs weren’t especially…chorizo-y. I was expecting more paprika and smoke flavours to come through on that count, but it didn’t. Not that it took much away from the dish I don’t think.

Tres leeches cake: La Puerta, Neutral Bay. Sydney Food Blog Restaurant Review Tres leeches cake

On the dessert front, the Tres Leches cake was particularly moreish for me. I have my doubts about its authenticity, but there was just something about it that triggered childhood memories of me soaking my sponge cake in milk to make a pudding of sorts. Heck, I still do it. Because it’s delicious. That’s why.

The Service:

La Puerta had a very family feel to it, especially when co-owner Catherine runs the front of house while her husband Oscar runs the kitchen. They were friendly, and Catherine easily chatted to groups of diners throughout the evening. I’m not sure whether this would change with hired guns (we didn’t see any other waitstaff in the small restaurant assisting Catherine) but so far, the small team just means that it’s all personal and cozy.

Value for money:

You’re probably looking at a $30 per diner range, not counting the drinks, and I think that’s fairly reasonable for a night out in Neutral Bay. I can’t say that it’s the most value for money dining given that there are more choices in the city for a lower price tag, but I do think that the South American cuisine is underrepresented in Sydney, which makes La Puerta worth a try.

The Vibe:

Located just off a busy street, La Puerta gave me a sense of a little hidden corner where you can have dinner and conversation, and unwind after a long day’s work. The sense of family makes everything really comfortable, and Catherine’s easy charm makes for a very relaxing evening.

And finally,

The criticisms of my South American friend made this review a hard one to write. For me, the experience was more about the warmth of the service than the food, but I didn’t think that there was much to complain about either. It was nice, but not stellar, and to be honest I don’t have enough experience to give a good critique on its authenticity.

I guess that’s the thing with cultural foods: whether or not it’s “authentic”, as long as it speaks to you, it works. Sure, it won’t work for everyone, but I like that La Puerta wasn’t trying to sell a particularly authentic take anyway. They want it to be an accessible version of their home favourites, and I walked away wanting to try more South American cusine.

Mission accomplished.

Insatiable Munchies dined as guests of La Puerta.
La Puerta
5/2A Waters Rd
Neutral Bay NSW 2089
Phone: +61 2 9953 8367
Website: www.lapuertarestaurant.com.au/

La Puerta Latino Flavours Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

Loco for…Coco Cubano, Ryde

Review
Sydney Food Blog Review of Coco Cubano, Ryde

El pollo frito, Coco Cubano, Ryde. Sydney Food Blog Review by Tammi Kwok

When I first saw Coco Cubano, all I knew was that you could order a Cuban cigar with your hot chocolate. I don’t smoke, and the hot chocolate was okay, but not great, so I left it at that.

Today, many branches later, Coco Cubano is offering up much more than hot chocolate and cigars – though the cigars are still there for sure – and I was lucky enough to be invited to try out the new menu!

The menu:

Starters

Tostones
Havana Dip Plate

Entrees

El pollo frito
Chilli caramel pork belly
Cuban fried rice
Tropical prawn salad

Mains

Arroz con pollo
Pork ropa vieja
Beef short ribs
The Cubano

Sides

Elote
Garden salad

Desserts

Buñuelos
Citrus cheesecake

Drinks

Salted Caramel Espresso Martini
Chocolate & Rum washed “brownie”
Triple chocolate batido crazy shake
Salty dulce de leche crazy shake

The Food:

There was just SO MUCH of it. As statistics would dictate, some were good, and others not so much.

Of the good pile, lay the El Pollo Frito, the rice in the Arroz con Pollo and the Buñuelos.

El pollo fritoCoco Cubano, Ryde. Sydney Food Blog Review by Tammi KwokEl Pollo Frito

The El Pollo Frito (fried chicken drumettes with red mojo dipping sauce) had a lovely, seasoned crust that the colonel (or should I say, el presidente) would be proud of. The dipping sauce was similarly flavourful, with a great balance of sweet, tangy and savoury. Sure, the drumettes themselves could use a little brining themselves, but otherwise it was pretty nice.

Arroz con pollo, Coco Cubano, Ryde. Sydney Food Blog Review by Tammi KwokArroz con pollo

The Arroz con Pollo (Cuban spiced half chicken with brown Sofrito rice) had fabulous rice that was light, delicately flavoured with separated grains. Nice work. The chicken though, came off a little dry, but for me, the rice more than makes up for it.

Buñuelos, Coco Cubano, Ryde. Sydney Food Blog Review by Tammi Kwok Buñuelos

And the Buñuelos? Donut + Chocolate = always a winner. The donut was a touch stiff for me, but I loved the crunch of cinnamon sugar on the outside, and then the richness of the thick, flowing molten milk chocolate that I can dip it into.

Of the not-so-good, the Cuban fried rice, the Chilli Caramel Pork Belly and The Cubano. Every thing else is – in the words of every competition reality TV show judge ever – “safe“.

Cuban fried rice, Coco Cubano, Ryde. Sydney Food Blog Review by Tammi KwokCuban fried rice

The Cuban Fried Rice (with chorizo, chargrilled corn and black beans) would have been better off labeled just rice and beans. It had the texture of risotto, which completely threw me off the expectation of fried rice. It was pretty heavy, and when compared to the rice of the Arroz Con Pollo, just didn’t make the cut.

Chilli caramel pork belly, Coco Cubano, Ryde. Sydney Food Blog Review by Tammi KwokChilli caramel pork belly

The Chilli Caramel Pork was almost too sweet, or not sweet enough. It was like eating pork belly (albeit tender and nicely cooked pork belly) that had been sprinkled with sugar. It didn’t quite have the hit of dark rich tones of caramel, and there wasn’t an element of salt to balance out what sweetness was there. The chilli also wasn’t particularly present, but that could also be because my Asian chilli sensors have been used and abused over the years.

The Cubano, Coco Cubano, Ryde. Sydney Food Blog Review by Tammi KwokThe Cubano

And if you’ve seen Chef (the movie that taught us you needed to neither have looks nor personality to land Scarlett Johansen, you only need to know how to cook), you would probably have a super romantic idea of the Cubano, which at its core is a toasted ham and cheese sandwich. A BANGIN’ toasted ham and cheese sandwich. Here it was a bit, um, bready, and the cheese say limply on the ham and pork, but was neither melty nor luscious. The side fries, though, were shoestring, and so have my seal of approval just for that.

The Service:

It’s a bit hard to comment on the service because we were there for a menu launch, but I did have a particularly friendly waiter who was hilariously cheeky and made sure we felt right at home. It was also a great ice breaker that he had a name tag that said “Awesome”.

Well, if the shoe fits, right?

The other service team members were friendly enough, but mostly just seemed rather green and just a little lost. Maybe it was the event setting that they weren’t used to, but when compared to Mr. Awesome, they just sort of faded into the background.

Value for money:

It’s not the cheapest meal out there, with mains sitting at the $25-$35 mark. But then again, they aren’t advertising value so much as they’re advertising an experience. In this case, it’s a bit middle of the road: the food wasn’t particularly authentic or punchy, but they weren’t charging you CBD prices for it. It would make more sense if you were dining in a group, in this sense, and if the group wanted a Cuban-lite experience that wasn’t too exotic.

The Vibe:

When we went, they had a BALLER singer/guitarist playing. He was as Australian as they come, but he really brought a Latin American vibe to the whole place. The mood lighting and dark wood also brought forth visions of smoky clubs in 1930s Havana, and really add fuel to all the Dirty Dancing fantasies you might have (the sequel, I mean. Don’t judge me!). The space may not actually be conducive to dancing, but doesn’t mean you can’t pretend!

And finally,

So the goss from Mr. Awesome is that the kitchen team was very nervous about the new menu, also because they were coming together as a new team. Fair enough. Some things can take a while to settle in and because this is the launch of something new, I can take that into account. I had a good time there, and while I didn’t get what I think would be an authentic Cuban experience there (I’m happy to give the oppression a pass), I went in knowing that an authentic Cuban experience wasn’t what they were offering up anyway.

Like I said, if you’re celebrating in a group that has polarised tastes and likes a very… gentle introduction, this is a safe bet. Otherwise, maybe stick to the hot chocolate and cigars. Hard to go wrong, there.

Insatiable Munchies dined as guests of Coco Cubano.
Coco Cubano
Ground Floor, Top Ryde Shopping Centre
Corner Blaxland & Devlin Street
Ryde, NSW
Phone: 02 8279 9239
Website: www.cococubano.com/

Coco Cubano Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

Get in my belly: Mr Crackles, Darlinghurst

Review 1 Comment
Sydney Food Blog Review of Mr Crackles, Darlinghurst

Sydney Food Blog Review of Mr Crackles, Darlinghurst

So the thing is, when foodies get together, we never stop at just one lunch. Just like a hobbit, second and third lunches are quite socially expected, which led us to stop at Mr Crackles, after picking up our $2 rolls at Monsters Rolls!

Cause, uh, we need to more rolls to compare standards right?

Sydney Food Blog Review of Mr Crackles, Darlinghurst: Crackles Classic, $13Crackles Classic, $13

Yes, we’ll roll with that. So by strong recommendation, we got the Crackles Classic, $13, and the Sticky Pork Fries, $12, to share.

Sydney Food Blog Review of Mr Crackles, Darlinghurst: Sticky Pork Fries, $12Sticky Pork Fries, $12

The verdict? The Crackles Classic rolls were…well, they were the victim of overhyping. The pork crackling was lovely, but the actual pork was a touch dry. It was photogenically stacked on top of the baguette, but that made it kind of hard to eat. It was meant to come with “vietnamese salad”, but there was nothing about it that was like the salads in the bahn mi from the obscure corner bakery that I’ve come to know and love.

The Sticky Pork Fries, on the other hand, were AN ABSOLUTE WINNER. Served with a creamy ranch dressing, the sweet tender pork coated crispy fries that just kept me going bite after bite. Definitely worth the trip just for that alone.

Maybe sticky is the key. Sticky err-thang.

This meal was independently paid for.
Mr Crackles
155 Oxford Street
Darlinghurst, NSW
Phone: 02 8068 2832
Website: www.mrcrackles.com.au

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Biru Biru, Darlinghurst, Sydney

Review 2 Comments
Fried chicken, served with fresh lemon and Japanese mayonnaise.

I was introduced to Japanese food at a very young age. My parents appreciate the finer foods in life, and sashimi and tempura was considered quite the treat when I was little. We would get dressed up and visit a nice Japanese restaurant about once a fortnight, and to the little girl that I was, it was the epitome of family time – the three of us, around the table, sharing everything from tempura to salmon sashimi to beef sukiyaki.

And so began my love affair with Japanese food – so much so that often when things get a bit stressful and the weather is depressing, it’s my go to cuisine of choice.
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