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

Capriccio Osteria, Leichhardt

I was invited to celebrate a friend's birthday at Capriccio Osteria and on the day, I ended up carpooling with friends to get here. This was probably the first time I've stepped foot in Leichhardt so was interesting to discover a long food strip filled with cafes and restaurants (mental note to visit again during the daytime). As there is limited street parking, it took a while before we found a spot a few blocks away and walked back to the restaurant.

Outside of Restaurant

Capriccio Osteria is just one of many popular restaurants on the main food strip that serves up some interesting Italian fusion cuisine.

Get Your Pink On! at The Commons Local Eating House, Darlinghurst

Okay, I didn't really try any of the food from The Commons but I did spend an enjoyable afternoon in their front courtyard for a "Get Your Pink On!" function - a collaboration between FCBA and @Eatventures in support of Breast Cancer Network Australia.

Front Courtyard

In keeping with the pink theme, the courtyard was decorated in pink and the food followed suit.

Ninou Boulangerie Pâtisserie Viennoiserie, Rosebery

Ninou first came to my attention when their fascinating desserts kept popping up on social media and therefore I was excited when the opportunity came by for a visit to their cafe in Rosebery, courtesy of FCBA. The concept of a French-inspired bakery in Sydney is intriguing - having authentic French bread loaves, baguettes and desserts all accessible at our fingertips without need to fly the required twenty odd hours to the "city of love".

Inside Cafe

But does it live up to the hype?

Twilight Christmas Market @ Carriageworks, Eveleigh

This year, Carriageworks held their inaugural Twilight Christmas Markets, which was actually an expanded version of their usual Saturday farmer's markets - complete with the usual (and more) food and drink stalls, as well as stalls selling various knick knacks suitable as last-minute Christmas pressies (to others... or oneself) across the road.

Since I got a pre-Christmas early mark off work, I decided to catch the train to Redfern Station and make the short hike to the Carriageworks. Since it was the first time I travelled there by train (I travelled by car on my first, and only, visit to the Saturday Farmers Market), I was a little hesitant that I would get lost. However, on this particular afternoon, there were lots of people wandering the streets from Redfern Station in the same general direction so I decided to follow some strangers, in hope that I would be arriving the at the correct location. On route, I passed by people holding bouquets of flowers, or pulling along their trolleys of purchased goods, so I knew I was heading down the right path.

Finally, I arrived! The sheer volume of people squeezed into the small space was epic:

View of the Eveleigh Markets

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.

Gelato Messina HQ & More, Rosebery

Following on from our lunch at the Three Blue Ducks, we continued on our food crawl in search of dessert.

Messina HQ

Located diagonally across the block from the Saporium car park, is the Gelato Messina HQ, which offers gelato and cakes to passing customers, and appears to be the location of their cooking classes.

Three Blue Ducks, Rosebery

For over a month, the ND food group preparing and planning for a Rosebery food crawl and it finally happened! Foodie adventures was meant to begin at midday in Rosebery but due to a late departure and traffic, I didn't end up getting to the Saporium, Rosebery, until 12:45pm. By that time, the group were all hungry and in search of food.

The Saporium houses a few cafes, restaurants, a health food store, and holds weekly "markets" (i.e. a dozen or so food and goods stalls) on Saturdays from 10am-3pm. However, there was limited food options there that tempted our taste buds (maybe Mr Bao but it was rather expensive at $6 per bao) so we decided to head outside and walked through The Cannery to the Three Blue Ducks.

Three Blue Ducks

Entrance to Restaurant

The Three Blue Ducks is located in a massive warehouse, with high ceilings and ample natural lighting, that has been converted into a restaurant & homeware store.

Lucky Suzie, Darlinghurst

Having had a significant brunch/lunch at Devon on Danks, I decided to meander towards Lucky Suzie, which is also from the team behind the Devon cafe, in Darlinghurst to try their ABC dessert. The ABC dessert had featured prominently a few months ago on Instagram and I never had the time to visit (given its isolated location) until now, especially with the impending Opal card fare changes that will impede on my likelihood to visit out-there places.

Restaurant Sign

Outside of Restaurant

When I arrived, the front section of the restaurant, which was filled with natural lighting, was full so I had to sit further in near the kitchen/bar. The waitress didn't seem so impressed that I was just ordering a dessert.

Devon on Danks, Waterloo

After months of deliberation and planning, I decided to make the trip out to visit Devon on Danks, which had been personally recommended by many foodies as the better of the two Devon sites. So on this particular sunny (but windy) day, I walked from Redfern Station through the slightly scary neighbourhood of Redfern/Waterloo and past a small, one-eyed dog to get to the cafe.

Exterior of Cafe

Exterior of Cafe

The exterior of the building is rather nondescript and for a moment, I thought I was lost until I noticed the cafe signs. The cafe inside had a hipster feel with hanging lights and natural, wooden/string textures. The sitting area near the main entrance was actually rather dark so I opted instead to sit closer to the dessert and drinks station, which faced some large windows that let in some of that wonderful sunshine outside.

The Waffle Shack, Ultimo

Anyone who knows me well will know I looovvve waffles - I got a waffle maker for my 21st and I cannot stop raving about Toscano's choc chip waffles. As a matter of fact, I'm actually munching on it right now as I'm writing this, much to the dismay of my fellow work colleagues as it generates wafts of sweet baked goods smell across the office once it comes out of the toaster... nomnomnom.... Hence I was uber excited when a FCBA event was held at The Waffle Shack as it could only mean one thing - wafffllessss!!!

My eagerness knew no bounds since I ended up scouting the place twice (because I was that eager) before the designated start time... all within hours of trying out the 'Sexy Me' egg waffle from Haven. Surprisingly, The Waffle Shack was sort of a hole-in-the-wall, sharing common space with a mobile phone reseller and a convenience store. I think I may have scared Chris (the owner) with my near-stalky photo-taking of him in action when there were no customers.

Outside of Store

Waffle Stack on Display

Haven, Surry Hills

Situated next to Central Station, Haven is famed for brewing specialty coffees that are specifically tailored to your preferences (based on aroma, sweetness, after taste, body and acidity), as well as for their fancy food items, like their signature HK-style egg waffles.

For those that have never heard of or tried HK-style egg waffles, then you're seriously missing out! One of my fondest food memories of Hong Kong is of their fresh egg waffles (along with the dragon's beard candies, sticky rice balls, and egg tarts with flaky puff pastry shells) - the sweet fluid batter is cooked on a special waffle iron so that when cooked, the waffle forms a lattice of egg-shaped pieces with a crispy exterior and gooey, custard filling. There are a few Asian cafes/restaurants that do sell fresh egg waffles in Sydney (e.g. in Eastwood for $3-5), or you can attempt to source an egg waffle machine or iron online that makes these awesome waffles... but sadly, you'll be out of pocket by at least $100 in order to get it shipped to Australia (yes, I've checked).

Hence you can see my eagerness to start off my food-driven day (note: this meal was followed by a visit to Koi Dessert Bar and The Waffle Shack... and Hotel Bondi) with a visit to Haven to see if their egg waffles live up to the ones from Hong Kong.

The Choc Pot, Rosebery

A few weeks ago, I was excited when one of the co-founders of The Choc Pot invited MSG Cafeteria to visit and sample some of their desserts and drinks at their branch in Rosebery. Unknowingly, I set a date/time on the one weekend that was forecast to rain more than the average rainfall for Jun in Sydney... Fortunately I made it to the cafe safe and relatively dry on a dreary, wet winter's day.

The Choc Pot, Rosebery, is situated directly next to the car park of the newly constructed Saporium, which currently houses a few cafes, a health food store, and a glasshouse-like structure at the centre that hosts cooking classes. Upon arrival, I took a brief walk inside the Saporium to check out the other open cafes/stores (as the centre is relatively new, some store spaces are still empty or have yet to open so watch this space), peered around, and then slowly made my way back go the cafe.

Having been to the Chatswood branch of The Choc Pot, I knew to expect the bright yellow/white chairs and wooden tables, which definitely stand out from the crowd. Fortunately the chairs here aren't the same as those supplied at Chatswood (yay!) although, to be safe, I sat on a bench this time:

The Choc Pot

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.

Foodcraft Espresso & Bakery, Erskinville

The Foodcraft Espresso & Bakery was brought to my attention after reading an online news article about their "world famous" Tella Balls - a massive doughnut ball filled with nutella! Being a major chocolate fan, I was eager to check this out.

When my friend and I arrived on a sunny Saturday morn, there was one serious crowd waiting outside the cafe and it took us almost half an hour before we finally landed a table inside:

Selection of Baked Goods - the bottom level is filled with Tella Balls!

Just looking at the Tella Balls can make any chocolate lover drool:

"World Famous" Tella Balls ($4.50) - Doughnut Balls filled with Nutella;
Also available with Five Berry Jam, Salted Caramel, Vanilla Bean Ricotta

If you're not a fan of doughnuts, you can opt for a cruffin (croissants baked in shape of muffins):

Cruffins ($6)

Who in their right mind would not take up the change to conquer the Tella Ball Shake:

Tella Ball Shake ($10) - Chocolate Milkshake
topped with Tella Ball

This is one monstrously chocolate-y meal in itself - a mason jar filled with a choc shake and topped with a Tella Ball! TBH, the Tella Ball is like a glorified giant doughnut ball with a generous dose of nutella that sort of explodes when you bite into it. I ended up dissecting and eating the Tella Ball on the saucer with a teaspoon (kindly offered by my friend, leftover from her latte) as it is sort of hard to eat it when all you're offered is a thick straw...

Bacon and Egg Panini ($10)

My friend opted for the bacon and egg panini - she had better luck eating it this time without creating a mess on the plate and rated it higher than the bacon and egg roll from The Missing Piece.

I would like to return again and try the actual food items from their menu but unfortunately it's a bit of a trek to get there via public transport (either travel to Newtown or Erskinville Station) and parking is a nightmare on weekends.

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.

Lunar Markets, Pyrmont Bay Park

 It's almost a week into my cold/flu now and I'm still feeling pretty lethargic. So much so, that I missed Lunar Streets- Chinatown, Thainatown, Koreatown all come to life with street food. NOOoooo!!!! An ultimate grazing opportunity slipped through my fingers.

So to make it up to myself, I went to Lunar Markets instead. It's exciting because I haven't been to night markets for a couple of years now, so I'm eager to try some of the new places.

 First stop is Daniel San and their charcoal BBQ skewers. The chicken yakitori was a good start to the night. Also available were pork belly skewers but we passed on those because...

Chicken yakitori - $6 each / $10 for 2

 We noticed a longer queue for Hoy Pinoy! The name literally means Hey, Philipino! - needless to say its here to bring the flavour of the Philipines to Sydney.

Chicken or Pork belly skewer - $6 each / $10 for 2

 At the same price and offering the same varieties, you will find Hoy Pinoy!'s skewers a little smaller than Daniel San's. But it's about quality, not quantity and personally Hoy Pinoy! wins this one in my books. The chicken was slightly juicier and had a better level of char which I enjoyed.

Hoy Pinoy! doesn't have a permanent store location in Sydney yet, but we anticipate its arrival.

 We ran into a man handing out gyoza samples and found this store which specializes in handmade gyoza. I love gyoza. But my gyoza expectations are pretty high. A quick online search showed this place to have good reviews from previous pop up locations but doesn't have a permanent store in Sydney.

Those were all the reasons I needed for trying these. We ordered the power combo - 4 x chicken and 4 x pork gyoza. 

 Power combo: 4 x chicken and 4 x pork gyoza - $12

 

The chicken gyoza were pretty good. Juicy with a good ratio of veges as you bite into it. The gyoza skin was superb too, distinguishable from the super thin commercial gyoza skin, these were believably home made. The pork gyoza missed the mark for me, however, like I said, I have exceptionally high standards for pork dumplings. If a store opened in Sydney, I would be keen to try the other flavours too.

 Phumplings? Pho + Dumplings. Somebody out there put two of my favourite foods together. This was really the highlight which drew me to the markets.

Phumplings - $10

Bar Pho came up with the patented idea of putting xiao long bao into pho soup. I was super excited by the idea and heard this menu item was sold out ever night at the Sydney Festival. Upon tasting it, it was ok. It wasn't mindblowing, nor was it dis-likable, it was just okay. The skin of the xiao long bao was probably a little thick/ gluggy and the filling mediocre by dumpling standards. The pho soup itself was well spiced, I would probably like it a little richer? It was a good concept, just not as amazing as I expected it to be. Maybe if they used a wonton-like dumpling it would accentuate the soup flavours more?

Coconut drink - $6

Crowds 5PM on a Sunday

Our final pitstop, Pasar Malam. We wanted to wet our whistle with some Ribena Longan but saw the chicken lollipops. It's fried food goodness and a decent portion size for the night market scene. Thank goodness we had a drink to wash it down with, otherwise it might have been overkill on the grease. 

Nonya Chicken lollipops - $10; Ribena longan - $5

It was great to see and try a few unique stores that aren't usually available in Sydney. Night market crawling is never cheap. The excitement of variety and small portions mean the cost quickly adds up, but it was certainly worthwhile for trying a few things out of the ordinary. 

Lunar Markets is located at Pyrmont Bay Park (across the road from The Star Casino).

It runs between 12th to 22nd February, 2015.

Mon - Wed: 5-9 PM

Thurs-Fri: 5-10 PM

Sat: 4-10 PM

Sun: 4-9 PM

See: http://www.nswfoodandwine.com.au/lunarmarkets for further information.

Four In Hand, Paddington

To make a friend's dream of eating "Mr Pork Belly" a reality, a group of friends organised a pork belly dinner at Four in Hands as an early celebration for Christmas. All of us were uber excited by this opportunity for pork belllyyyyyy!
 
We were originally asked to get a majority of the people there by 6:45pm for a 7pm start but they were happy to delay serving the food until 7:15-20pm to cater for the few late-comers.

Finally, the time had arrived and our pork belly was delivered to our table:

Pork Belly Platter - Pork Belly + Ribs with Onions (Halved), Roasted Carrots,
Roasted Potatoes, and Broccoli, served with Gravy

The wooden platter (more like a plank!) was enormous and required two men to carry it. We were all amazed by the sheer size of the platter and spent the next 5 min taking photos of the food and the dinner table.

Close Up of Pork Belly *drools*

Eventually, we started serving out the pork belly and accompaniments to everyone:

Pork Belly Dinner on a Plate

Overall, I was extremely satisfied with the meal. The pork belly skin was crispy and well-seasoned, and there were ample sides - there were 13 of us and we depleted everything except for half the bowl of potatoes. Everyone was stuffed by the end of the night and one of my friends has already commented that they would be coming back on their birthday next year for another pork belly dinner. The service was also good - waiters were friendly and were constantly checking up on us to ensure that we were happy with our food.

If you want to partake in a pork dinner, you'll need to call up in advance (at least 48hrs notice) and reserve a pig ($800 for 10+ people) or pork belly ($350 for 10+ people).

The bar/restaurant is accessible by car (park on nearby streets) and public transport - either train to Edgecliff station, or get off at bus stop on Ocean Road/Trelawney St along the bus route to Bondi Junction, and then hike 600-800m via the 'bush' or the streets of Paddington to the bar/restaurant.
The place is hidden within a quiet residential area but you will notice it from the noise generated by the pub clientele. The bar (where we ate our dinner) adjoins the restaurant and has a separate dining area on the side.

Four In Hands at Night