Posts tagged Takeaway

Step Up to the… Mira Korean Street Food, Eastwood

Review
Mira Korean Street Food Review

Ttokboki with Cheese $10

One thing that I’ve missed thoroughly since moving from Singapore, is street food. Nothing quite beats the rising smoke around food on sticks, bustling crowds and surly hawkers. Not only is the food crazy delicious and cheap, but it’s also the ultimate in convenience, allowing you to eat and roam the street at the same time.

Street food in Sydney is not quite the same, but it doesnt stop anyone from trying to serve it up in different forms! Enter Mira Korean Street Food, who are attempting to serve up classic Korean street treats, but in a sit down cafe in Eastwood!

Soondae (Korean blood sausage), $10Soondae (Korean blood sausage), $10

Soondae is a Korean blood and noodle sausage that is served with a spiced salt on the side, as well as a few slices of tripe or liver. It’s almost like a gateway blood sausage to me – not nearly as strong in flavour as black pudding, and has a familiar chewy texture that accompanies starch noodles. Not a fan of the liver, but I never like thoroughly cooked liver anyway.

Fried Seaweed and Sweet Potato Noodle, $2 for 2pcsFried Seaweed and Sweet Potato Noodle, $2 for 2pcs

That same noodle used to stuff the Soondae is used again here in this Fried Seaweed and Sweet Potato Noodle snack, that is battered, fried and served with a soy dressing. Great for the novelty factor, and again, addictive chewy texture, but not entirely special otherwise.

Odeng sitting in a hot water bath

Odeng involves a skewered fish cake served in a bowl of anchovy broth. These skewers sit in a hot water bath, in preparation for their time in the bowl…before it hits my tummy.

Odeng (skewered fish cake soup), $3Odeng (skewered fish cake soup), $3

It’s supersoft, a bit like tofu, and for all the fish involved in this soup/skewer, it’s incredibly
milk, and reminds me of restorative broths my mum used to make when I wasn’t feeling well.

In all, not quite the street food experience that I was looking for, but its really worth a shot if you’ve got the late night munchies!

Mira Korean Street Food
16 Railway Parade
Eastwood, NSW 2122
Phone: 02 8542 9233

Mira's Korean Street Food on Urbanspoon

My Favourite Kind of Balls: Tamayaki, Haymarket

Review
Tamayaki, Dixon Street, Haymarket

Tamayaki, Dixon Street, Haymarket

I remember the first time I’d ever eaten a Takoyaki. My friend and I walked through a Pasar Malam in Singapore – makeshift night markets that are held nomadically in the heartlands of the country – and she disappeared for a moment, coming back with a box of them: mayonnaise-covered balls made from a creamy batter, and filled with bacon and cheese. But I didn’t know that this was a crazy delicious Japanese street snack then.

All I heard were the words “Bacon and Cheese”.

Traditionally filled with octopus pieces – then called Takopachi instead – these balls are basically made with a base of wheat flour batter in semi-spherical cast iron pans, looking like the savoury edgy ancestors of the cake pop. Today, they are filled with such a variety of ingredients and are so omnipresent that they even have them dispensed from vending machines in Japan!

Satay Chicken Takoyaki, $6Satay Chicken Takoyaki, $6

Commonly filled with seafood like prawn and crab, Tamayaki in Dixon St (Haymarket) have spiced up the menu with super cool flavours like Satay Chicken, and Eel (Unagi).

But first, wanna know how they’re made?

Takoyaki getting filled

First the pan gets filled with batter, and then the chosen fillings.

Takoyaki being flipped

Then it gets expertly flipped. Most places use two thin metal skewers to flip and roll these balls into spherical perfection, but no, Tamayaki chooses to use only one, with a Luke Skywalker-wielding-a-light-saber-post-Vader type efficiency.

Mayo being generously applied

These balls are then carefully cooked to be crispy on the outside while still creamy on the inside, and popped into little trays, before being generously doused in mayo-based sauces. The Unagi gets mayo and barbecue, and the Satay Chicken gets a specially formulated spicy satay sauce. Very nice.

Satay Chicken Takoyaki, $6

Watch out for that first bite! Cause, you know, steaming hot insides and all. The Unagi is as delicious as expected, filled with tender eel flesh and smothered in savoury sauce and dried bonito flakes that curl and wave with the heat off the balls. But the Satay Chicken was a surprise favourite. Chicken thigh pieces stand up to being cooked twice very well, and the spicy tangy satay sauce tastes of all the spices that come with authentic satay flavours, and not just a peanut-heavy mess that I see so often. Also available in beef, Tamayaki is really providing a new twist to old favourites.

Mango Juice Ball

And if you’re getting thirsty from all the creamy mayo, Tamayaki also has an extensive drink menu. I tried the very summery Mango Juice Ball – filled with little liquid-filled spheres of mango syrup that burst into your mouth luxuriously the way salmon roe does.

The takoyaki has really come a long way since I first sampled it as a teenager in that bustling, humid, market, and Tamayaki seeks to push the boundaries, and continue on in the Japanese mixture of innovation and traditional techniques. The balls are made fresh to order, resulting in a little bit of a wait for the order to be ready – especially if you’re in a rush. But really, I’ve never been at a tamayaki joint where there wasn’t a wait, so…

Japanese comfort street food for the win!

Insatiable Munchies dined as guests of Tamayaki.
Tamayaki
Shop 36 1 Dixon St
Sydney, NSW 2000
Phone: 0450 290 190
Website: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Tamayaki-Australia-弹丸滋地/309957315780420

Tamayaki on Urbanspoon

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

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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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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