ChinChin, Surry Hills

Getting to ChinChin requires a bit of a trek from Central Station and given that it is hidden from the main roads of Surry Hills, it took us a while to find the right place. The entrance is rather dim and decorated with a fluoro pink bunny (why oh why), which gave it a bit of a nightclub vibe.

Outside of Restaurant

Inside of Restaurant

Night Noodle Market 2017, Sydney CBD

Once again, the Sydney Night Noodle Market was held in Hyde Park and flagged the beginnings of the Good Food Month (i.e. October every year).

Entrance to Night Noodle Market

The food selection appeared to be the same as last year (with the most popular being Hoy Pinoy, Messina Gelato, Black Star x N2 Gelato), along a few new additions spread throughout the park.

Two Sticks Barangaroo, Sydney CBD

Recently, I was invited by FCBA to the relatively new sister-branch of the Two Stick (located on George Street in the Sydney CBD/Haymarket area) in Barangaroo. Since I have only ever ventured out to Barangaroo on only a few occasions and therefore was unfamiliar with its changing face, I decided to head out to the city early in order to scout out the surrounding area and find my way to the restaurant. I had to rely on trusty old GoogleMaps to identify the correct building, in which the restaurant was located (too many high skyscrapers in the area!).

Outside of Restaurant

Upon arrival, I got to meet other foodies and sample a variety of the Two Sticks menu, most of which the manager had personally selected for us to try. We were also given the choice to order anything from the menu - I should have stuck to an appetizer because there was so much food left! I am guilty of leaving with a takeaway container as I didn't like to see good food go to waste 😥.

Hong Kong: The Lounge @ JW Marriott 香港JW萬豪酒店, Admiralty

In order to thank me for my hospitality during my aunt's stint in Sydney and knowing that I was a foodie, she decided to treat me for a meal at The Lounge inside the JW Marriott Hotel, Hong Kong, which is renowned for their afternoon tea buffets.

Let's say the experience was... seriously epic!

Entrance of Lounge

Afternoon tea at The Lounge runs from 3:30pm to 6pm so I had a light lunch beforehand to prepare myself for an afternoon feast and had every intention to skip dinner that night. 😂

Hong Kong: Teawood 茶木, Quarry Bay

Teawood is one of my sister's favourite restaurants, which offers Taiwanese cuisine and is famous for their honey toast stacks. So upon setting foot on Hong Kong, my sister decided to take me to the Teawood in Tai Koo Shing, which was one of her few usual food haunts when eating out.

Sign Outside Restaurant

After a long wait in the queue, we finally were seated at a booth table and got to skim through their extensive menu. Given the limited eating time, we quickly made our orders and the food was quickly churned out.

Din Tai Fung, Chatswood

Intrigued by the concept of rainbow dumplings, I decided to take the plunge and visit Din Tai Fung for the first time. Located in a relatively isolated corner of Chatswood Westfield, the restaurant draws the eye with their ~kawaii~ dumpling mascot.

Entrance of Restaurant

Upon entering the restaurant, customers are greeted by a large view into the kitchen where chefs are carefully crafting endless amounts of dumplings:

Kitchen

Mr Wong, Sydney CBD

Coming from an Asian background, the problem with eating at a Westernised Chinese restaurant is that you come knowing what true Chinese food and flavours should be like versus the bastardised version that is served to cater for Westerners. Sometimes it can be good... and sometimes it can backfire in your face. Hence when I was told that we would be celebrating DrL's surprise birthday dinner would be held at Mr Wong, I was a little hesitant for not only would the meal be expensive (it is two-hatted and located in the city) but it was surely going to be an interesting experience eating 'high class' Chinese food.

The evening started out with a short trek from Wynyard station, past the curious crowds lingering on George and Hunter Streets looking up at the gigantic crane with a close encounter with the neighbouring buildings (the bystanders obviously had nothing better to do besides filming the entire incident on their phones) and through some inner roads of the Sydney CBD to the mysterious Mr Wong restaurant, which is actually in a reformed historic brick building accessible via a small laneway. Even though we had arrived just after opening time, there was already a thick, long queue outside the restaurant doors, filled with eager customers awaiting to be let through the glass doors and into the establishment.

Entrance of Restaurant
(This was from after dinner around 8pm. Still line of people waiting for tables)

East Phoenix, Zetlands

Following the lovely nuptials between Mr&Mrs N at Blackburn Gardens, the remnant MSG Cafeteria peeps lingered in the gardens to fancy artistic shots (by Ivanhoe) before heading to the Intercontinental Hotel in Double Bay for sustenance in the form of coffee and fries.

With 20min to go till the start of the night-time reception, we then headed out on the short drive south to East Village, Zetlands. Set inside the relatively new shopping centre, East Phoenix is located on the third level and has ample capacity to fit at least 300 (there were 23 guest tables at the reception, with at least 12 people per table and room for a large dance floor), with three private function rooms.

Front Entrance

As per usual Chinese Banquet receptions, it looked like another full venue.

Noodle Night Market 2016, Sydney CBD

Every year during Good Food month (i.e. Oct), the Sydney Night Noodle Markets are held in Hyde Park within the Sydney CBD. Lines of stalls are opened providing visitors just a glimpse of the (mainly Asian) foods on offer around Sydney. Ironically, despite being labelled as a 'noodle' market, most of the stores actually don't even have a noodle menu item.

Despite arriving around just after 6pm, the crowds in Hyde park were in epic proportions and gradually got bigger as the night went by.

Entrance Closest to Town Hall Station

Fortune Cat Art

Giant Fortune Cat
(recycled from Chinese New Year?)

The Grounds of Alexandria, Alexandria

Hidden within the heart of Inner Sydney lies a (very) busy street corner hosted by The Grounds of Alexandria:

Street Corner of Bourke Road and Huntley Street

You are sure to notice it when you see the large crowds drawn to the area.

Bistro Hulu, Crows Nest

For several months, my work colleagues (hereby nicknamed Catman and Robin) and I have been wanting to visit the new Chinese dumpling store close to work and we finally organised a date to visit. Located on the busy Willoughby Road within the Crows Nest food hub, Bistro Hulu stands out from the crowd with its bright red sign and decor:

Street Appeal

Cooks Busy at Work

Upon entering, there are a series of booth tables along the side wall opposite the kitchen, before the restaurant opens up to a room filled with round tables and comfy red chairs. Given that Robin is vegetarian, we were limited in what we could order and so picked from the few vegetarian dishes available along with some meaty options.

Pan Fried Mushroom Dumplings (6pc) ($9.80)

The mushroom dumplings were a surprise as they were wrapped in a triangular shape (rather than the usual moon-like shape that you normally see) and were filled with various diced Asian mushrooms like enoki, shittake, and straw mushrooms. I initially had issues picking up these with my chopsticks as there was no way to get a solid grip on them and after a while, the dumpling pastry gradually opened up like a flower.

Poached Beef and Pork Dumplings in Chilli Oil (8pc) ($11.80)

These dumplings were placed on a bed of minced garlic, drizzled in soy sauce and chilli oil, before being topped with tenkasu (tempura scraps, a.k.a. agedama) diced shallots and sesame seeds. The tenkasu was an interesting addition to provide some crunch to the dish but I would have liked to have seen more chilli oil/soy sauce so the dumplings were slightly immersed in it, as I have seen at other Chinese restaurants. If you were so (un)lucky to pick up a small amount of minced garlic, it provided a massive kick along with the chilli oil.

Canton Steamed Combination (8pc) ($16.80)
- Prawns/Pork/Vegetarian Dumplings, BBQ Pork Bun

We had to query the waiter about this dish since the description didn't provide much information. The pork 'dumpling' was really a normal dim sim. Catman was surprised that the prawn dumpling actually included a whole prawn inside - obviously has been deprived and been eating at dubious Chinese yum cha places that supplied prawn dumplings filled with just minced prawn. The pork bun was rather big and wholesome so I was full soon afterwards.

Vegetarian Spring Rolls (4pc) ($7.80)

These spring rolls were freshly made (read: served hot!) and filled with julienne carrots, cabbage and Chinese black fungus.

Steamed Vegetable Dumplings (4pc) ($9.80)

We actually ordered outside of the menu - surprisingly they don't offer steamed vegetable dumplings on their own (only as part of the Canton Steamed Combination) -, and given the limited vegetarian menu, Robin ordered four more vegetable steamed dumplings. Given that we were charged $9.80 for these, they were some expensive dumplings.

Bistro Hulu is definitely targeted at local Westerners (which formed the majority of the customers on the day of my visit). Though the dumplings were good, I wasn't particularly amazed by the food and there are probably better options out there at more reasonable prices... but this is what happens when you eat in Crows Nest.

Golden Palace Seafood Restaurant, Cabramatta

In celebration of the nuptials between Mr&Mrs L, their reception was held at Golden Palace Seafood Restaurant, which is in the heart of Cabramatta. Having rarely ventured out to the area, it was a bit of an eye-opening experience to drive through and walk in the neighbourhood.

The restaurant is located on the second floor of the building and the outside of the restaurant had been decorated as a massive photo-taking area so that guests could take photos with the bride and groom before they entered the restaurant.

By the time everyone arrived and was seated at their respective tables, it was well after 8pm and the courses of the Chinese Banquet (oh food... glorious food) was eventually served to guests:

BBQ Cold Cut Platter

The Foodie's Guide to Kingsford

This post is dedicated to uni days, lone student diners and budget meals around Kingsford. Listed in no particular order are some popular eats around UNSW in Kingsford on ANZAC parade. Uncle G and I spent a semester collecting these reviews so we hope you enjoy. 

Albee's Kitchen (Malaysian)

I've been to Albee's Kitchen in Campsie, so their menu is not unfamiliar to me. At this place you can expect a good variety, good portion size and reasonable pricing. The food is probably not as refined and service is slightly lacking.

I ordered the Hainanese Chicken. As you can see the serving is definitely generous!! But you can also see... Is that sweet chilli sauce?! That was truly disappointing... especially seeing as the staff were too busy cleaning and preparing to close to pay attention to my needs. I later saw they did have the correct chilli sauce on another patron's table. Guess I just got the short straw?

Uncle G ordered the Laksa. Again it was a big serving, very rich and chockablock full of noodles and chicken, egg and other regular laksa essentials. I personally found it too rich for my liking. I preferred my Albee's Kitchen experience in Campsie. 

So Good Kitchen (Chinese)

So Good Kitchen is a bit further down Anzac pde. What drew me to this place was the promise of '鸡公煲 (Chicken Hot Pot). I haven't seen this dish elsewhere in Sydney yet and do hope its available more readily soon!

What is Chicken hot pot? A sizzling pot of chicken stew, intensely aromatic from lots of onions, garlic, chilli and veges in a soy base. Depending on the size you order, the whole or half chicken is chopped into pieces and cooked on the bone to keep the meat tender and extract all those umami flavours into the sauce.

The ordering process is much like hot pot. Pick the size of your chicken dish, level of spice (we went for medium) and extras to cook in the sauce hot pot style after the chicken is finished.

Our chicken stew arrives and does not disappoint! Flavoursome and aromatic, you can smell it from a mile away!

We finish off the chicken, then its time for the extras! Uncle G gets his usual fix of extra meat - but personally I feel the carbs and veges soak up the flavours of the sauce perfectly. Ask the waiter to add stock to your chicken pot once your done with the chicken, then let the extras simmer in the hot pot.

Tasty Eating House (Chinese)

Probably one of the poorer chinese restaurants on the strip. We found the dishes here similar to what its neighbours had to offer but its flavours weren't quite spot on.

We ordered the 'mouth watering chicken'. Though it looked authentic, the sauce and chicken pieces were somewhat flavourless. Maybe because the chicken was cut to big?

Uncle G got the curry beef noodle soup. Again, the curry flavours weren't strong enough for my liking. My own noodles were somewhat bland also.

Everise (Northern Chinese)

Unfortunately I don't have photos of this place. Which doesn't do the restaurant justice as it is probably the single restaurant we frequented the most over the semester. This eatery specialises in Northern Chinese cuisine. Our favourites are the diced beef noodle stir fry and the 大盘鸡 (w added noodles). We've also tried their dumplings, lamb roll, soup noodles, chive cakes, spicy chicken stir fry etc.  

Sinma Laksa House (Singaporean/Malaysian)

So prior to my Singapore trip, I really really wanted to try Singapore chilli crab, so we found this place in Kensington. The kebabs here are quite authentic, with a lovely satay sauce and served with Ketupat (or lontong). These are pressed rice cakes are commonly served with satay sticks in Singapore but rarely seen in Sydney.

We got beer fried chicken, pepper beef and sambal prawns also. But I personally would miss the stir fry dishes next time - especially the prawns which our whole table was disappointed in. There wasn't enough prawns to go around a group of 7.

And time for the main event - the Chilli Crab!! The crab was plump and saucy - at the time of dining - it did not disappoint! (Although after having it in Singapore - the Sydney version doesn't quite measure up). The sauce itself is much sweeter than spicy, with distinct ginger tones. Perfect when mopped up with deep fried sweet asian buns. These were so good we had to order seconds! 

Passionflower (Dessert)

On the same night, we wrapped up dinner with dessert at Passionflower. Check out the crazy stash of ice cream!!!! Assorted flavours including green tea matcha, black sesame, thai milk tea, sticky rice, lychee and rose, cookies and cream, taro etc.

Pedalling Street (Malaysian)

Yumm... sometimes there's nothing better than a Char kuew teow. I prefer the Kuew Teow in Sydney to that in Singapore and Pedalling Street lives up to expectations. A good serving size, plenty of prawns, egg and flavoursome toppings. 

The beef rendang was good too. I didn't have too much but Uncle G vouches for the quantity of meat and rich flavours.

Manpuku (Ramen)

I've done a number of posts about Manpuku now. Everyone probably knows by now - ok so Aunt T loves Manpuku. So enough said about this place.

Miss Yu's (Taiwanese)

Business at 'Little Food Republic' has steady slipped down hill over the last 3 years. Most of the restaurants within are not even open anymore? (Not sure if this is 100% correct as they haven't been pulled down but they're not open at dinner time either?)

The exception to this is the relatively new Miss Yu's stand at the very front of the row of eateries. They specialise in in food on a stick and Taiwanese cuisine. I personally haven't tried many of their options.

Everytime I come here I always get the same braised beef noodle soup, because I'm in love with it! Sure its not top notch in most people's books but I love the flavours! There's often nothing I feel like more! It's a little bit spicy, lots of umami, got a good texture in the noodles and cheap cheap cheap!

Taiwanese Express (Taiwanese)

I was excited when I first saw this place and its bento boxes and traditional taiwanese of menu choices. It has snacks, rice and noodle dishes  - just like how I remember Taiwan!

I ordered the 鲁肉饭 with crispy chicken and a green tea. The 鲁肉饭 was just ok - it doesn't quite measure up to expectations, not even compared to some of place around Sydney. I recently visited Hu's Inn in Chatswood which does a much better rendition. I prefer when they use chopped pork belly rather than pork mince - the pork just isn't fatty and melty enough.

Mamak Village (Malaysian)

This is where you go when you've got a fraction of an hour before class and want a quick snack. I do warn you though, this isn't Mamak as you know it - I wouldn't go expecting the same quality of food as in Chinatown.

 Roti with 2 curry dips for only $5!!!! That's a student deal perfect for winter snacking!