New Shanghai, Lemon Grove, Chatswood

If I had to rank food from different Chinese provinces, then Shanghai cuisine would definitely be one of the top on that list. It is food that is familiar to me, it comforts me and reminds me of my roots.  Every so often, there would be nothing I crave more than a good 'Shang' meal.

There are two branches of New Shanghai in Chatswood: in Lemon Grove and in Chatwood Chase. The Chase branch definitely has a more appealing atmosphere with dim lighting and Asian 1930's theme decor. But if you're not entertaining, and you're with family for just a good honest meal - we always head to the Lemon Grove branch. My father swears the food here is cheaper and tastes better - that, I am unsure of.

Spicy Chicken Salad

Everytime we come here, we order the same dishes. Literally. And the spicy chicken salad is no exception. Although everytime I find it too salty for my liking, and lacking the 'umami' element you would get from a similar Szechuan version, we keep ordering it none the less?

New Shanghai Xiao Long Bao - Steamed mini pork bun $7.80

The XLB is what I really come here for. Arguably my favourite XLB in Sydney. The skin is the perfect thickness - thin enough to be slightly translucent but thick enough to absorb the taste of the meat juices. The meat itself is also seasoned well and the quality is consistent every visit. We prefer the normal pork as opposed to the crab version.

Aunt T's top 10 favourite things to eat

A spoonful of XLB juice in each one! XLB juice is typically a mix of collagen/fat mixed with the pork juices as it cooks inside the little dumpling parcel. The result (if done well) is a concentrated meaty soup inside which you can either slurp out or (as Aunt T likes to do) pour out, into a spoon to examine it first before sucking it down. Here at New Shanghai, it's done perfectly to my liking!

Deep fried crispy skin chicken with special garlic & chilli sauce on noodle soup $13.80

Our next 'go to' dish is the Shan Dong chicken (that's what the Chinese text on the menu calls this). The three elements that make this dish a winner is firstly the crispiness of the chicken skin as it arrives on your table. There is a definite crunch every time. Secondly, the chicken is moist and succulent every time. Finally the sauce is sweet, tangy, fragrant and just salty enough that you can let your chicken swim in it a bit.

The noodles that came with the chicken above

The Shan Dong chicken you can get alone or with noodles. We always get it with noodles as the serving size is better for 2 and we enjoy a warm soupy dish to wash the meal down. The noodles are pretty plain (as you can see) but deceivingly tasty and satisfying.

Pan fried pork dumpling $9.90

We always get the pan fried pork buns too. It has the same filling and soup as the XLB but wrapped in a thicker raised dough with a crispy base. Uncle G and I can never finish everything but I like to take these home and eat them for breakfast the next day. So you're thinking: "Who eats pork buns for breakfast? Weirdo". Actually something like half of China does - this is the breakfast food of champions.

Shanghai noodle stir fried with shredded pork & vegetable $9.90

On this occasion we ordered the Shanghai chow mein, which is a deviation from our routine. It was ok, rather ordinary. It was no surprise we couldn't finish it, so I also had to take this home too.

As for service quality etc, bare in mind this isn't anything fancy. The service is nothing offensive but this is just honest authentic Chinese food to feed locals, and  the pricing and restaurant ambiance reflects that. We always come here so I have no hesitation recommending this place and will be returning again.

So dear readers, what brings nostalgia to your dining table?

Devon Cafe, Surry Hills

A queue outside Devon Cafe

I've stumbled upon the realisation that it is probably going to become increasingly difficult for me go to a busy brunch place with a bub on the way, so this is the time to go all out. So last Saturday we headed to Devon Cafe in Surry Hills, and braved the 30 min queue.

Chocolate and Peanut butter milkshake $6

I was incredibly thirsty by the time we were seated, so I ordered the chocolate peanut butter milkshake. It was delicious, but the peanut butter could have been blended in better - as it tends to sit at the top - so for most of the drink it just tasted like plain chocolate then finally ended with an overpowering hit of peanut butter. It was good though, only wished the serving was bigger.

Bakery goods at the counter - CRONUTS!

The food took a while to arrive so I took this time to explore the counter. I realised my mistake as I crumbled under the temptation of gluttony and got a salted caramel cronut to go. (Hey, at least I had the self control to know I couldn't eat everything in one sitting).

Lamb Sandwich: Slow cooked lamb, garlic confit, cheese, roasted capsicum,
spinach, aioli with Chips $20

First up was Uncle G's Lamb Sandwich. It looked golden and majestic with a generous dollop of aoili on the side. We agreed to share half half so we each got to try a bit of each others.

Cross section of the Lamb Sandwich

The lamb was beautiful and tender, well accompanied by all the trimmings. It was definitely on the greasy side but hey, it's the weekend! We can't be health fanatics everyday.

Breakfast with the Sakuma's: miso grilled king salmon, smoked eel croquette,
63' egg, radish petit salad and kewpie mayo $25

I chose the Breakfast with Sakuma's for two reasons: it's unique and I don't eat enough fish in my regular diet. This dish was divine!!! I was interested to find the Japanese bonito sprinkles went so well with salmon and completely married all the flavours on the plate. Ever since, I've been sprinkling it on my own grilled salmon at home too! My favourite part of the dish though would be the eel rice croquet. Essentially, it's an asian inspired arancini with a lovely smokey hint of eel. The only part of the dish that let it down was the salad. I think they must have double seasoned it by accident? It was so salty it was barely palatable (and that's VERY salty because we're quite used to salty foods).

Spiced chips (side to Lamb Sandwich)

We mustn't forget the perfectly cooked and seasoned chips too! Yuummmy!

Overall, Devon Cafe was a very enjoyable experience. It isn't cheap, but it's great for an occasional treat. The food is definitely high quality and fresh.

Pottery Green Bakers, Gordon

Set in close proximity to Gordon Station (and its nearby car park construction), Pottery Green Bakery stands out from the small shops lining the street with its crowd of expectant customers:

Outside View of Cafe

The interior decor is à la Element 6, complete with rustic walls, wooden tables, dim lighting, and the occasional pot plants scattered across the cafe:

	Top Left: View of Cafe /interior Bottom Left: Coffee Counter with Display of Baked Goods Above: More Baked Goods for Sale

The menu is rather interesting because it contains a mix of Western and Asian food items (e.g. typical bakery goods like pastries, cakes and bread... along with pho?). As I had arrived around 10am, only their breakfast menu items were available (baguettes, pho and other lunch items are available from 11am) and I opted for their hearty 'big breakfast':

Big Breakfast Bakers Pan - Two Poached Eggs, Bacon, Pork Chipolatas, Mushroom, Tomatoes,
and Rocket Served in a Copper Pan, Accompanied by Sourdough (or Baguette) ($18)

The copper pan (which has the cafe's name engraved on the handle) contained perfectly poached eggs covered in hollandaise sauce along with a seriously (un)healthy serving of crispy bacon - it was by far the largest "big breakfast" I have had in a while (potentially... ever?). The only fault I would put against this dish is the distinct burnt taste coating the mushrooms, probably because it was cooked on an unclean pan/hot plate.

Pottery Green Bakery is definitely worth checking out and I would be interested in returning again to check out their lunch menu.

Bay Tinh, Malabar and Olio, St Leonards

Exciting blog entries are difficult when it's often only Uncle G and I ordering a couple of dishes. Over the months I've collected a number of small meals reviews which I can finally throw together into a proper entry. So here's the first in this series: quick meals in St Leonards/Crows Nest.

Bay Tinh

Bay Tinh 

 I love vietnamese food and I always feel the North Shore doesn't offer enough. So I was set on trying something different on this night. Bay Tinh has a great selection and many items not available on your regular westernised Asian restaurant menu.

The Bonfire, what's inside? $28

 We go for the Bonfire on this occasion. It arrives at our table sitting in... ethanol? (that's my guess) and cooks infront of us for a good 15-20 mins. While waiting Uncle G digs into some Salt and Pepper calamari which unfortunately was not captured (sorry!).

Side of lettuce, mint, pickles, pineapple, bean sprouts and Harry's special anchovy sauce

 Still cooking, so let's explore our sides.. Mmmm can't wait.

Beef & prawn bonfire - finally ready

 The smell is AMAZING as the lid finally lifts to unveil the long awaited dish. Admittedly it would have been nice to see a more generous portion of protein but we're kind of used to the 40/60 meat/veg ratio.

Loading the rice paper, ready to wrap!

And the adventure begins. Wrap-me-happy! You want a little bit of everything on the rice papers then add a generous spoonful of sauce. Or just dip it in the sauce as you go if you're not sharing. It's absolutely delicious! Uncle G loved it too, even with all the veges. We especially enjoy the sweet refreshing juiciness of the pineapples and pickles. 

Malabar  (Crows Nest)

 This is our third visit to Malabar (my 5th without Uncle G) and its become a local favourite. The 'go-to' choice for 2 people is always the banquet menu which is $24.50 pp (lunch)/$37 (dinner): min 2 pax. 

Mini Masala Dosai

The Dosais' at this place is truly what keeps me coming back. I haven't been to India or many other Indian restaurants that offer dosai but in my books, this is FANTASTIC! The crust is so crisp and crunchy yet lighter than a crepe. It melts as you drizzle the curry sauce over it and soaks up all that tangy, spiced tomato goodness. I've tried the chicken and beef versions too, but the masala (filled with potatoes and onion) one is definitely my favourite.

Lamb pepper Roganjosh

 The lamb roganjosh is my favourite of the three mains in the banquet. It's overall mild, with a good pepper zing. The lamb portions are tender and falling apart, the sign of hours of stewing and love.

Butter Chicken

 I've been told by friends Butter Chicken is about as real Indian food as chop suey is Chinese. But hey, we order it everytime and love it. It's one of the few non spicy dishes Uncle G loves. The butter chicken here was just ok. It wasn't bad but I found it a little sweet for my taste.

Mixed Vegetable Curry

 Unfortunately the vegetable curry really misses the mark. Of the 3 times I've had the banquet, we barely touch the vegetable curry every time. It's filled with mushy frozen vegetables and not even the sauce makes up for it. Wish they just gave me some potato curry instead.

The lunch banquet is served with basmati rice, while the dinner banquet comes with naan as well as rice. It should also be noted, the basic dinner banquet also includes Pappadum w mint chutney, Patti Samosa, Chicken Tikka. These were lovely from memory and makes the extra cost worthwhile.

Once upon a time the lunch also had naan and both banquets advertised all you can eat mains. But unfortunately not anymore, nor is the quality as good as our first visit 2 years ago. This place is worth a try, especially for its Dosai but you better do it quick, before the quality slips anymore.

Olio 

I've visited Olio twice, the first visit in November 2014 then once again recently, early April 2015 and I've combined these two visits below. Please note the menu has changed? (or at least the specials have since 2014).

[2014] Mushroom, Haloumi & Slaw sliders w chips

We start with my favourite. These slides won me over and changed how I perceive vegetarian burgers. This dish was a demonstration of how much flavour and texture you can put into a well seasoned vegetarian burger. Too often have restaurants put a vegetarian item of the menu 'just for the hell of it', but this actually tasted amazing! And the cool, crunchy coleslaw was the perfect saucy salad for each slider. It was to my great disappointment these are not available anymore (cries in a corner).

[2014] Linguine with prawns, tomato, chilli and white wine $24

[2015] Linguine with prawns, tomato, chilli and white wine $24

 We ordered the prawn linguine on both occasions. It's actually pretty amazing when you see the two photos side by side, taken from 2 visits only 5 months apart. The first time the prawns were juicier and the dish had more sauce - you can actually see this from the photos. On my second visit the pasta dish was still nice, it was oilier but the favours were still true.

 [2015] Salmon and dill fish cakes with fennel & orange salad and saffron aoili $22

 The price was pretty steep for 2 fish cakes, especially for an entree size dish at lunch time. These were good, lovely moist fresh salmon goodness in a crunchy coating. The sweetness from the orange balanced the fennel and rocket nicely. Actually, I would be very happy to have this as a light lunch anyday - maybe not for $22 though.

[2015] La Ionica Chicken supreme with pearl barley risotto,
tomato, baby spinach, white wine and feta cheese $31

I rarely order this style of chicken because you always run the risk of the dry chicken breast. The crime of the culinary world. This one was ok. I felt the chicken could have been better seasoned but it was fine when had it with the barley risotto. Did I mention I loved the barley risotto? Yum!

Overall Olio's an enjoyable place to share a meal with friends but considering the price, probably more appropriate for dinner or a special occasion lunch. Unless you have an entertainment card, then it's a good place to go anytime!

Note: Malabar and Olio are both in the Entertainment book 2014-15. They attract 25% off the bill and 'Buy one main get one free' discounts respectively.