A Grazing Adventure, Central to Town Hall Sydney

Chur Burger, Surry Hills

The very hipster Chur Burger

The thing about being married is it's easy become complacent about the time you spend with each other. Uncle G was very sweet this week and suggested spend some quality time as a couple. We would spend date 'day' visiting some eateries I've been keen to try.

Enjoying the diner feel

 Over the past few months, I've felt behind in the 'burger scene'. New burger joints seem to be popping up week after week. Burger Project, Mary's, Pub Life, Crisp etc. And of course Chur Burger! Seem like every week someone's talking to me about Chur Burger, so today we decided to tick that one off the list!

Selection of hot sauce - impressed Uncle G

 While waiting for our burgers we amused ourselves trying to decide which hot sauce we wanted to try.

Grilled beef (x 2), cheese, tomato jam, mustard mayo,
pickle - $10 (+ $4 for double meat)

 Uncle G gets the beef burger with double the meat (typical). I struggle to hold this tower and manage to have a few bites. It was so gooooddd!! I especially love the tomato jam, it marries the cheese burger perfectly. A good beef burger that doesn't disappoint.

Pulled pork, Chur BBQ sauce, red slaw, fennel mayo - $10

Talking about Chur Burger last night, my friends recommended to try the pulled pork. Usually I've been quite wary when it comes to ordering pork, purely because it can be a hit and miss sometimes. But this baby is a winner! Aunt T and Uncle G both give this one the thumbs up. It's pretty sweet and reminds me of a saucy rack of ribs, but bones removed, dumped in a roll with slaw. Crazy good, we devoured our burgers in minutes.

Uncle G's idea of hiking: "there's vegetation and we're walking i.e. hiking"

Satisfied with our meal, we keep moving for stop 2. We heard of a new ramen place in the city, therefore, it HAD to be tried. After all, it shares Uncle G's motto: No Ramen, No Life.

Yasaka, Liverpool St Sydney

Boasting its freshly made, rich tonkotsu soup and seeing the braised pork options reminded me instantly of Gumshara. Then as we enter the store, the narrow single row of bench seating against the kitchen was reminiscent of small diners in Japan. Although promisingly authentic, it was a worry how the restaurant would fit enough people. O but never fear, there is a level 2, yay!

Yasaka Ramen, level 2 seating

Tonkotsu Shio Ramen with Egg - $15.80

 Didn't you each just finish a Chur Burger? The answer to that is: yes, we did. But it's not an adventure if you just eat 1 thing, is it? That would just be lunch. We got #10, Tonkotsu Shio Ramen with egg to share. The highlight was definitely the egg. Marinated just long enough for the egg white exterior to take on a light brown and taste mildly savouy, all while the centre remains perfectly runny.

The soup was definitely thick, rich and full of collagen. We prefer a lightly thinner soup, as the thick style is a little sticky for our palate. But it is a promising bowl of ramen - especially the eggs (given the thumbs up by Uncle G).

Aqua S, Regent Place Sydney 

 To end our adventure we need some dessert. I've seen a lot of pretty pictures about this Aqua S soft serve place, so we decided to give this a go.

The business model was simple.
1. Choose from cone, small or large cup.
2. Choose a flavour from Lemon Tea, Sea Salt or Biscotti (or a mix of 2).
3. Choose your toppings: Fairy floss, toasted marshmellow, poppin' candy, caramelised popcorn.

Seems simple enough right? Except they neglect to mention there is a 20 min wait if you want 'fairy floss' as a topping.

Sea salt & Lemon tea soft serve w toasted marshmellow, fairy floss - $6.30

Twenty minutes later, our ice cream is a pretty as a picture! The lemon tea flavour packs a sour punch, not to Uncle G's liking unfortunately, but I found it enjoyable. The sea salt flavour I chose because it was so pretty! Upon tasting it, it was actually surprisingly creamy. And the fairy floss works well with the combo, not only as novelty but the extra sweetness balances the sour and salty well.

Stuff ourselves was a lot of fun. I plan to do more Sydney CBD Grazing tours. Any suggested itineraries? 

Kirribilli Hotel, Milsons Point

Do you ever have days when you just don't feel like cooking? What happens for you on those days? Exhibit A for our family. We head down to the pub.

That isn't completely true. We actually look through the Entertainment book and find a convenient place.

Spicy, sticky glazed pork ribs w thick cut chips & salad - $41 (full rack)

Didn't take long for Uncle G to decide he wanted the ribs. Greed set in when we saw it was $33 for half a rack, and $41 for the full rack. We thought "eh, might as well get the full rack! Can save the rest for lunch the next day, right?". Wrong. Kirribilli Hotel is the first place I have been to where I have been informed of a STRICT no food leaves the premises policy.

"Can I have the leftovers takeaway?"
"No."
"O, if there's no box that's ok, just give me some foil."
"No. You might leave it out in the sun too long and get food poisoning so no."
"... Umm ok. Can I get it as doggy bag for my dog then?"
"No. Strictly all food must be confused on the premises."

I haven't tried to take food away from a pub before, so I'm not sure if this is common. The cook pointed out a tiny sign above the kitchen window with a paragraph of fine print on what is allowed and not allowed at this place.
I guess my biggest qualm with the matter is you should make an effort to make sure guests are informed about this before ordering. Could probably do better than a small sign above a kitchen window (rather than at the point of order).

Kirribilli Tapas Sampler: King prawns w freshmango & tomato salsa; seared scallops
w sweet soy ponzu sauce; arancini balls w sundried tomato, basil, mozzarella & aoili - $38.00

Left with no choice we monstered down all the food we ordered. Yup. That's all the scallops 3 tapas and the full rack of ribs.

I guess you just want to know how the food was right? Overall it was ok. The ribs were falling off the bone and saucy. The arancini balls crunchy and fluffy in the middle, it was especially good with the aoili provided. The scallops were also well cooked. I would probably not go for the prawns again though as a number of them could have been fresher.

In spite of a 25% Entertainment discount, it hasn't won our return business, but that's the risk of trying new things! You never know, if you never go.

Urban Bites, Newtown

The shame about visiting Newtown is that one's stomach is never big enough to sample all it has got to offer. The sweltering summer heat further reduced our appetite, so instead of a food adventure, we would have to settle for brunch.

Uncle G and I have been keen to try this place a couple of years in a row now. It's that tempting BOGOF deal in our Entertainment Book which I bookmark every year, but never quite get to.

Smoked Salmon Salad: capers, avocado, meschulin leaves,
garden vegetables w lemon olive oil dressing $19.50

The first thing that strikes you as your food arrives is the serving size. The glasses in the top right give you a good idea of how big the dish is. Definitely feels like America! The salmon was deliciously fresh and generous on my plate.

Roast Pumpkin Salad: tossed with coriander, capsicum,
chilli & balsamic (with extra side of chilli) $18.90 

The Pumpkin Salad matched the salmon salad in size and was well seasoned. The extra chilli dressing provided was wonderfully flavoursome, not overly spicy. The salad were delicious and well dressed.

Big Veggie Brekkie - Grilled haloumi, homemade baked beans,
mushrooms, 2x poached eggs, spinach & hashbrown

 Generosity is a continuous theme at this cafe. There was an abundance of haloumi. Enough for this vege meal to be endorsed by my omnivore friends.

Roast pumpkin salad: as above, w extra prawns

Greek style calamari: lightly floured and seasoned fresh calamari w greek salad $21.90

 Uncle G missed out! What's there not to love about a giant plate of S&P Calamari?

Chicken Souvlaki: w greek salad, tzatziki, pita bread & steak fries $21.90

The chicken souvlaki was by far my favourite dish of the day. Definitely adequate for sharing between two. I recommend ordering a salad and a souvlaki between two people for a balanced & satisfying feed.

Selection of cakes

Now that I've finally been here, the only feeling I'm left with is a sense of regret for not using my previous Entertainment vouchers for this place. Incredible food & incredible value! But what else would you expect from this neighbourhood?

(From left) Cow & Moon Gelato: Black & blue, Malto Bliss, Apple wasabi, Mandorla Affogato $5 for small cup

What do you think about Newtown? And what are some of your favourite spots around this area. Growing up in Usyd, I've always been a fan of Thai La Ong. Six dollar thai lunches, big servings and free delivery for orders over $20 (straight to your uni building - say what!?).

Taipei - A Foodie's Guide (Day 1 - Taipei Zoo, Maokong, XiMenDing)

Clockwise from top left: Koala mascot at Sydney Airport,
Taipei Zoo South Gondola Station, Entrance of Taipei Zoo, Maokong tea district

Aunt-T and Uncle G has shared the last 8 years of cherished memories. So needless to say, it has been a long time since I've traveled without his company. However this year, I was ambitious to feel independent and the rush of adventure in a foreign land, so it's off to Taiwan I go!! Ms Strawberry joins in the fun!

Airport to Ximending (西门町）

At 04:00 hrs we arrive in Taiwan's Taoyuan Airport. There was a flight delay, so by the time we pass customs and get to the bus stop, it was past 6:00 AM. Buses run from area 'B1', where you will see numerous ticket counters. Guo Guang 國光 runs direct buses between Taoyuan airport and Taipei Main Station (that's their 'Central'). Generally they run every 15-20 mins and takes around 50 mins.

We were fortunate as we chose to stay in Muzik Hotel (儷夏商旅 Zhonghua Rd Branch) in Ximending. A different bus company (FreeGo) runs a service to Ximending and will drop you off directly in front of your hotel. Just look for the "FreeGo" sign at the B1 ticket counters, and show the lady where you hotel is. It doesn't cover every single hotel in XiMen area, but certainly most of them. Remember to tell the driver as well as you board the bus!

Lesson 0: Chinese skills highly recommended. Spoken Mandarin is a necessity to fully experience what the city has to offer.

The locals in Taiwan are extremely helpful but you will struggle if you don't understand Chinese at all (as most of them don't speak much English). You can get by, but you will be limited by what you can do as most places won't have an English menu or English speaking staff.

Ximending to Taipei Zoo

We get to our hotel (see separate review) to put our luggage down. But its 8:00 AM and nothing is really open.

Lesson 1: Nothing in Taipei is open before 9AM; boutique shops & entertainment areas don't open till 11 AM.

So its breakfast time!

Overwhelmed by the Chinese menu 

But never fear! Pictures are here!

This modest looking breakfast joint is buzzing from the crack of dawn, right into the evening!

Lesson 2: Looks can be deceiving. Modest, run down joints offer the best food (in Taiwan at least).

Now, I'm a Chinaman proud of my heritage, so I consider myself savvy when it comes to 'real' chinese food (from visiting Shanghai over the years). I'm certainly no stranger to Yong He Dou Jiang (永和豆漿). This is certainly the most run down Yong He I've been to but umm (might have to bite my tongue here) its like, the best?

Noodles (I saw in the picture), milk tea,
蛋饼油条 (fried dough wrapped in egg), Taro bun hamburger with egg

This is totally my comfort food. The noodles taste a little like Spag Bol, but breakfast style with an egg. The best part was the 蛋饼油条. I've had this in Shanghai, but this was better. It didn't feel too greasy and was perfectly seasoned with their special sauce. The Taro bun was massive~! The two of us couldn't actually finish all the food.

We returned here another day and had their 火腿蛋煎饼（favourite breakfast item on whole trip, taiwanese ham & egg wrapped in pancake) and 饭团 (rice wraps filled with condiments & 油条).

Ok now its seriously time to head out though. First thing's first! We get our Easycards from Ximen MRT. The machines at all the MRT stations sell them. From Ximen station Catch Blue Line (Nangang Exhibition Centre 南港展覽館站 bound). Alight at Zhongxiao Fuxing 忠孝復興站 Station to transfer to Brown line. Then catch the Brown line (Taipei Zoo 臺北市立動物園 bound). Alight at Taipei Zoo 臺北市立動物園 (terminus); take Exit #1 to Taipei Zoo or Exit #2 to Maokong Gondolas (貓空纜車).

Taipei Zoo

Clockwise from top left: Orangutan, white rhinos, Panda(s), Giant gorilla.

Taipei Zoo boasts Asia's largest zoo with numerous exotic animal exhibition, ranked one of the country's top 10 attractions and all for an entrance fee of $60NT. That's like $2AUD - say whatt!?!

I highly recommend this place, if you have kids its a MUST! But if you don't, or your not too into animals or zoos (like yours truly), prepare to be surprised! It makes Taronga Zoo (in Sydney) look like a backyard. And the animals are so active in here too, you actually SEE them, moving and doing stuff!! 

The highlights for me were the pandas (there was a baby panda too), rhinos, hippos, Mr Gorilla, numerous bears. The insectarium was awesome too. You need to be ok with the idea of butterflies (lots of big butterflies) flying around and landing on you though. The zoo keeper was extra nice - she found a dead butterfly and gave it to us as a specimen because we were from far away (we didn't keep it but she meant well). If you visit this place, be prepared to do A LOT of walking and an exhausting day!

Maokong

Mao Kong (貓空) is famous for their stunning views & tea planations. A perfect relaxing destination to take in fresh air & a bird's eye view of most of Taipei city, especially after the exhausting morning. We caught the Zoo shuttle to Taipei Zoo South Gondola station & caught the gondola up to Maokong. The gondola trip up takes between 15-20 mins.

After getting out of the gondola station, we came to an intersection and follow the road to the left. After a short walk we arrive at Red Wood House tea house 紅木屋休閒茶館.

Red Wooden Tea House 

Oolong tea - grown in Maokong 猫空

We rest our feet by enjoying some locally grown tea. We've been warned its pricey here (tourist trap heaven), but after so much walking this is well deserved break!

Chicken Soup with Yam & Dates

Nothing like a giant pot of nourish chicken soup to help us recuperate from our overnight flight and strenuous morning.

Loofa with Bamboo Fungus

This was the BEST! I know the name/ ingredients sound a little peculiar but trust me, its delicious. The loofa melon was so tender and smooth, contrasted by the crisp crunch of the bamboo fungus and all soaking in umami goodness.

Enjoying the views

The meal didn't feel expensive at the time by Sydney standards but it turned out to be our most expensive meal in all of Taiwan. The total was just over $980NT (~$40 AUD).

Ximending (part 1)

We finally arrived back at the hotel, checked in and despite all intentions to unpack, we could only throw ourselves on the bed. We could have easily fallen asleep - if had our stomachs not called for dinner. 

A Zhong Mian Xian (阿宗麵線) $60NT for large.

This was destination street food for us. I have heard and read so much about 'Ah Chung's famous rice noodles - the best in Taiwan. It's a noodle soup with oysters, pig intestines and.. who knows what else. There's garlic, chilli and vinegar on the side, which you can add to your own liking.

The noodles were perfectly 'shuang (slippery, al dente yet soft), not gluggy as Mee Sua can get sometimes. But personally it missed the mark for me. Maybe the crown of "best in Taiwan" just put too much weight on the expectations. It was ok though.

O a chian (蚵仔煎) Oyster Omlette

We visited a random eatery next the Hotstar at Ximending (because it had seats and sells everything). We ended up ordered some Lu Rou Fan (滷肉飯) and an 'o a chian'. I am inclined to advise: Do Not Go To This Shop! That's how bad the o a chian was. We couldn't eat a second bite. There was a stinky flavour to the sauce. But to be fair the Lu Rou Fan was recent and we finished that.

Really good cafe/restaurant we went to!

As the last joint was a disappointing experience, we relocated a couple of doors down. Cha Ku Chu GuiMy chinese is at its limits - I'm not certain what this place is called but here's a picture :). The food here is actually very good. Has the taste of home - just what I miss after moving out!

Beef and Egg stir fry set meal ~ $180NT , Fruit tea $140NT

I wanted some beef noodles which was sold out. So I reluctantly opted for the beef and egg stir fry set while Ms Strawberry got the fried pork katsu. Each meal came with rice, soup and side dishes. We also ordered a 'Tian Bu La' (we later found out this was basically fried fish cakey thing). Can you see how big that drink is? O yes... that's the regular size for their drinks. We felt bad we couldn't finish out food again. So it's Tian Bu La & Pork Katsu take away for breakfast time!

Pork Katsu meal set, Fruit tea

So that concludes our first day of adventures. Here's a summary of our eateries:

• 永和豆漿 (Yonghe Doujiang). No. 30 Hankou Street, Zhongzheng District, Taipei. 
• 紅木屋休閒茶館 (Red Wooden House Teahouse), No. 33, Lane 38, Section 3, Zhinan Road, Wenshan District, Taipei City
• 阿宗麵線 (Ay Chung/A Zhong Mian Xian). 8-1, Éméi St, Wanhua District (Ximending), Taipei City
• 茶堀都市茶館 (Cha Ku Chu Gui). No. 30, Hanzhong Street, Wanhua District, Taipei City 

The Vogue Cafe, Macquarie Centre

Bubbly staff @ The Vogue Cafe

There's no better way to spend a Sunday than catching up with girlfriends over brunch & shopping. And on the note of shopping, Macquarie Centre is the new place to be!

Our first choice was actually 'The Missing Piece', but as it was far too crowded for a group of 4, we were advised The Vogue Cafe is owned by the sister (whilst the brother owned The Missing Piece). "Well why didn't you say? We're all for supporting the gals!".

I heard its undergone recent renovations? And I love what they've done to the place! It is really perfect for a catch up spot!

Sugar rimmed berry pomegranate special x 3 - $7; Mocha x 1 $4.50

Peach as Bro (Peach, strawberries, white peach nectar frappe) - $7

YUMM!! The drinks at this place are to die for! From milkshakes, to ice teas, this cafe puts a special touch on your usual drinks and they do taste as good as they look. I'll be here to try more of them for sure.

Smokin King-wa (Sour dough topped with avo, grilled haloumi,
quinoa tabbouleh, smoked salmon, poached  eggs with dukkah topping) - $16.50

Mushroom Eggs benedict

There isn't much to show in terms of variety. Not because the menu didn't have variety (o trust me, there were too many good choices) but we just couldn't pass on the Smokin' King-wa. If you think that's a long list of 'stuff' on some bread then you would be right. Two people could comfortably share this meal. Its a sinful combination of greed+gluttony disguised behind a healthy facade! 

The staff here were really friendly too. They allowed split billing and even posed for the photo, yay! I'll be returning to this place in the near future for sure!