Posts tagged Roti

Deep Fried Chicken Skin is the new Crack

Fried Chicken Skin, PappaRich: Sydney Food Blog Review

Guys, we need to talk about chicken skin.

Ever since moving to Australia, it seems that chicken skin has been relegated to the “unhealthy” territory, so much so that to get chicken meat with the skin on requires you to buy the whole chicken or make special requests!

Well there’s one place(s) in Sydney that’s rebelling in the most delicious way: serving up a whole plate of crispy, piping hot, deep fried chicken skin for your eating pleasure. PappaRich.

A photo posted by Tammi Kwok (@teafortammi) on

This is something that brings back memories of my humid, SouthEast Asian childhood, where comfort eating gets elevated to an art form. An art form that has most doctors in a tizzy, sure, but a scrumptious, luxurious beautiful thing nonetheless.

Crispy Chicken Skin: PappaRich Bankstown. Sydney Food Blog Review

Of course, that’s not the only thing that you can order (the Assam Laksa, Roti and Satay is pretty legit)

PappaRich Assam Laksa

Roti Telur Bawang with Curry Chicken: PappaRich Bankstown. Sydney Food Blog Review

Satay Chicken and Beef: PappaRich Bankstown. Sydney Food Blog Review

And of course, the Hainan chicken with rice noodles is also worth getting.

Dry Kway Teow with Steamed Chicken

But really, with chicken skin on the menu, why would you look at anything else?

Fried Chicken Skins

BRB, got chicken skin to eat!

Wondering where else you can get your chicken skin fix? Well, you can read more about our other PappaRich adventures at Parramatta, Macquarie and in Melbourne!

Insatiable Munchies dined as guests of PappaRich Bankstown.
PappaRich Bankstown
Little Saigon Plaza, G13-G14/462 Chapel Rd
Bankstown NSW 2200, Australia
Phone: +61 2 9709 4147
Website: http://www.papparich.net.au/location/papparich-bankstown/

PappaRich Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

PappaRich, Chatswood 

Fried Banana Fritters, PappaRich Chatswood: Sydney Food Blog Review

Asian cookbooks lie. They lie through their teeth. Good, authentic Asian food is damn hard to recreate at home, not to mention the list of specialty ingredients that’s as long as your arm.

As a Singaporean who cooks I know what I’m talking about.

So whenever I feel a bit homesick and want some familiar food, I’m always faced with a quandary – the Southeast Asian food in Sydney simply cannot be compared to the experience of dining on street food (sometimes the risk of food poisoning is just what you need for a little evening excitement), but it’s still better than what I’ve got the energy to make at home. Then what?

My previous visits to PappaRich have been something of a mixed bag. The first visit fulfilled a craving; the second left me wanting like an inconsiderate lover. Maybe third time’s the charm?

On this depressingly rainy afternoon, we jumped straight into the hard stuff. Nasi Lemak with its usual condiments of sambal, fried anchovies, egg and peanuts came with a fried Chicken Maryland so huge you could use it as a weapon. Maybe it’s my Asian sensibilities but the size of the chicken in Australia still scares me.

Nasi Lemak, PappaRich Chatswood: Sydney Food Blog ReviewNasi Lemak

The most important part (some would say titular ?) of the dish – the rice – was delicately aromatic with coconut cream, and designed as a springboard for the other flavours. The sambal was legit, but like the loud best friend with all the personality, drowned out the flavour of the rice. And I really wanted the rice to be stronger in flavour.

Also on the order, the Hainanese Chicken Rice. Invented by the Hainanese people who migrated to SouthEast Asia, this favourite is truly a celebration of chicken. Rice, sautéed in garlic, ginger and spring onions till fragrant, is then cooked in a chicken broth that has been used to poach whole chickens to silky perfection.

The condiments that come with it also haven’t escaped the chicken treatment: fresh chilli sauce gets loosened with stock and chicken fat, and a chicken/soy dressing lightly coats the chopped chicken.

Vegetarians need not apply.

Hainan Chicken Rice, PappaRich Chatswood: Sydney Food Blog ReviewHainan Chicken Rice

I’m actually quite happy to report that here, the chicken had passed the quality test. Often overcooked and super dry, the chicken still retained some silkiness, and whatever dryness it might have had was made up with the soy/chicken dressing that most restaurants leave out. The rice could be more aromatic, but not everyone requires their rice to be anointed with as much ginger, garlic, and chicken fat as I do.

Yes, the secret to a good chicken rice is chicken fat. You may begin clutching your chest in fear.

And while you’re doing that, we also ordered a plate of Deep Fried Chicken Skins.

Fried Chicken Skin, PappaRich Chatswood: Sydney Food Blog ReviewFried Chicken Skin

Yeah. And it was good.

Sambal Eggplant, PappaRich Chatswood: Sydney Food Blog ReviewSambal Eggplant

What was not so good was the Sambal Eggplant. Usually, this dish involves cubes of eggplant simmered the an ass-kicking shrimp-laced chilli sauce. You get chilli, mix it with your rice, and eat your way into heaven on earth. Instead, we got massive chunks of eggplant covered with a sauce so skimpy you’d think it was showing off at the beach. Not my favourite rendition of this homely classic.

On the dessert front, PappaRich is offering dishes that are designed to really piss of your doctor. But only in the most pleasurable way, of course.

Roti Bom, PappaRich Chatswood: Sydney Food Blog ReviewRoti Bom

The Roti Bom is the rich cousin of the popular Roti Canai, and it’s not afraid to show off. Thick, flaky pastry is served with a generous dusting of icing sugar, and side portions of condensed milk and granulated sugar for you to dip.

Because crunch is very important when you’re eating condensed milk.

Fried Banana Fritters, PappaRich Chatswood: Sydney Food Blog ReviewFried Banana Fritters

If you feel that it’s important to finish your meal with fruit, then the Banana Fritters with Vanilla Ice Cream might be more up your alley. Banana. Batter. Deep fried. Ice cream. It’s exactly what you’d expect: piping hot fritters and melting ice cream is always lovely, even if technically they’re using the wrong banana. The banana commonly used in Malaysia is much smaller and sweeter, and doesn’t have that hint of chalkiness.

Oh and here’s a tip for you: by the sheer creative powers of my dining partner, we have figured out that the best dessert of all is a mashup of the two. Take a bit of hot banana, place it on the Roti, drizzle some condensed milk on, and finish with ice cream.

You. Are. Welcome.

With regards to the food, I think I’ve figured it out: you just have to be really careful what you order. PappaRich isn’t good at everything, but at its mid-range price point, I think that’s okay. The Assam Laksa still remains a favourite of mine, and the fried chicken wings are pretty good too, even though the Char Kway Teow is consistently below average. It’s a good starting point to the world of Malaysian food, and the little checklist order sheets ensure that no order is lost in translation.

And if in doubt, just order the fried chicken skin to go. You can’t go wrong with that.

Insatiable Munchies dined as guests of PappaRich.
PappaRich
63 Archer Street
Chatswood, Sydney, NSW
Phone: 02 9411 3207
Website: http://www.papparich.net.au

PappaRich Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

The Malaysian Equation: Mamak, Haymarket

Mamak, Haymarket, Sydney Food Blog Review by Tammi Kwok

Growing up, I was just 15 minutes from a famous late night eating district in Singapore – Jalan Kayu. It was basically a whole restaurant strip worth of roti pratas – flat breads that are chewy, crispy and flaky all at once, in the most delicious way. The Malaysians call it roti canai, and Mamak has a long standing repuation of making some of the fluffiest ones in Sydney!

Review of Mamak, Haymarket: Sambal SotongSambal Sotong

Part of the deliciousness to roti is the variety things to have it with. This time we ordered Sambal Sotong, because seafood and chilli are probably the two biggest loves in my life.

Well, non-human loves.

Review of Mamak, Haymarket: Roti ChanaiRoti Canai

The Roti Canai was fluffy and crispy, and the Sambal Sotong satisfied my craving…even if the serving was quite a bit on the small side. In fact, the considering cost to food standard ratio, the lack of value for money is only made up for with the fact that there wasn’t a queue on the night we went.

I normally wouldn’t drop by Mamak because there are other delicious options in Chinatown, but when you have a craving, well, what else can you do?

This meal was independently paid for
Mamak
15 Goulburn Street
Haymarket, Sydney NSW
Phone: 02 9211 1668
Website: http://www.mamak.com.au

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