Taste of Shanghai, Ashfield

Only 20 mins from Sydney CBD is our city's own Shanghai. Well, maybe that's not quite true, but this suburb has had a long standing reputation for the destination for a 'Shang' meal. We're pretty tired from shopping, so Uncle G and I decide to grab a quick meal at Taste of Shanghai.

Xiao Long Bao - $9.80 (9 pieces)

Wonton in Red Chilli Oil Sauce - $9.80 (10 pieces)

Szechuan Style Braised Barramundi with Fermented Rice Balls and Chilli or with minced Pork. $24

Spicy Dan Dan Noodle Soup- $9.80

So maybe we were over-ambitious for just 2 people, but it felt like ages since Uncle G and I had eaten out, so we splurged. No harm done as we just got take away for the left over wontons.

The XLB were ok. Probably what I would expect from most 'run of the mill' dumpling joints in China. So for Sydney, its probably commendable. Certainly nothing to complain about yet not quite as good as New Shanghai's (at least in my opinion).

The wontons were again average. They remind me a lot of the '大云吞‘ I get in Shanghai (again, at your run of the mill local shop). Stuffed full of pork and shepherd's purse - these guys are filling but the veges didn't suit Uncle G's appetite. In fact they somewhat disappointed as well. I had such high expectations following the Taiwanese editions I ate recently. Unfortunately these did not nearly match those standards.

The spicy Dan Dan noodle was not quite as I anticipated. I imagined a sheet of red chilli oil, aromatic from numbing chilli & dark soy coloured pork mince. As you can tell from the picture - not quite what I had envisioned. But it sure was spicy!!!! Not for the faint hearted - although Uncle G liked it and mopped it all up.

And finally the fish! I was expecting glutinous rice balls in with the sauce, but didn't see any. It was, heavy, loaded with fermented rice grains. The fish itself appears a little overcooked but the flavours were enjoyable.

What's your favourite chinese eatery in Sydney?

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

The Rag Land, Waterloo

On route to the Finders Keepers market held at the Australia Technology Park, my friends and I had a pit stop at The Rag Land cafe.

Hidden in the streets of Redfern, the cafe has a rustic/industrial feel - it's filled with quirky/vintage accessories decorating the walls. Food and drinks are served in mis-matched plates and cups although, surprisingly, the iced mocha and milkshakes were presented in plastic cups:

Iced Mocha (and Coffee in the background)

Milo Dinosaur (i.e. Milo Milkshake)

Food - glorious food - was served a while after the drinks:

Spicy Smashed Eggs and Avocado, served on Sourdough

I would have expected the eggs to be more "smashed", rather than cut up as shown in the picture. The chilli mixed into the egg/green salsa provided the dish with a bit of a kick, but the dish could have been improved with a bit more seasoning with salt/pepper.

Pea Fritters with Poached Egg, Rocket and Salsa

Unfortunately, there were random metallic specks (like sparkles from a christmas bauble?) in the pea fritters so I had to return the original plate... hence, a second plate was served:

Pea Fritter Take #2

The pea fritters were (deep) fried and over-cooked past the ideal golden-brown stage, which let down the dish as the pea fritters had a bit of a burnt aftertaste. However, the poached egg was cooked perfectly and the fritters were accompanied by a nice tomato-based salsa.

You're probably better off sticking to drinking their coffee (which they're famous for) and eat the food at your own risk.

Elbow Room Expresso, Chatswood

Following on from my early bakery run, I met up with Moose's Digest and headed to our brunch pit stop at Elbow Room Espresso in Chatswood.

Situated on a side street off Victoria Avenue, the cafe is brightly lit from the external sunlight through the use of glass/windows along the external wall. It also offers an array of items for purchase including organic sticky chai.

Items Available for Purchase, e.g. Organic Sticky Chai, Coffee Beans, and Jam

Cashier Counter with Pastries on Display

When we arrived, we were fortunate to come across a spare two-person table and promptly ordered:

Chocolate, Pretzel & Peanut Butter Milkshake ($7)

Green Freak (Spinach, Chia Seeds, Avocado, Lemon, Mint, Almond Milk, Honey) ($8)

The milkshake was awesome - there is a distinct peanut taste in the choc milkshake and heaps of salty pretzel bits mixed into the drink, which gave it a crunchy texture (at least before the pretzel drowned for a while and became soggy). Accordingly to Moose's Digest, the Green Freak tasted better than the green smoothie from Element 6 (it certainly had less froth!).

Then came our food:

Grilled Asparagus and Prosciutto Bruschetta (with Poached Eggs, Minted Broad Bean
& Pea Mash, Rocket, topped with Lemon Juice and Toasted Pumpkin Seeds) ($18)

The highlight of the dish was the grilled asparagus, which were individually wrapped with prosciutto, and the eggs were poached perfectly with an orange gooey centre. I found the sour dough bruschetta a bit tough and hard to cut with a knife and fork (I ended up eating with my fingers) although it may have been an issue with the knife, rather than the bread.

French Toast with Grilled Banana on Brioche (topped with House-Made
Cinnamon Ricotta, Pistachios and Maple Syrup) ($14)

The french toast - made using brioche so had a cake-y texture - was light and fluffy, and the berry compote was a surprise (though not specified on menu?). However, the grilled banana was a bit overcooked (too squishy/mushy) and therefore a bit of a letdown.

Overall, Moose's Digest and I were very happy with our meal. The quality and presentation of the food was top notch and certainly exceeded my expectations (which were basically non-existent) - kudos to Moose's Digest for selecting this cafe!

Black Star Pastry and Brewtown Newtown, Newtown

As part of some crazy idea for making the most of my early (5am) start to the day, I decided to go bakery hopping around Newtown on the way home from the airport.
Note to self: question thinking if you ever decide to do this again... especially if trip is followed by a full day of events...

After much research, I decided to limited the list down to two bakeries that I could fit in my busy schedule for the day.

Black Star Pastry

This bakery is located at the end of the road (resembles a cul-de-sac but has a small discreet side lane that runs perpendicular off Australia St) and sits smack bang between some cute shops. There are seats lined outside the bakery for customers to leisurely eat their baked goods and drink coffee.

Due to my early start to the day, I arrived at the bakery just before 7am. Although the bakery opened at 7am, I was still too early to pick up the strawberry and watermelon cake that I ordered (earliest pick-up time is 8am at the Newtown store) so I wandered around the neighbourhood in search for a nearby cafe that was open - sadly, the only thing open that I encountered was a Caltex petrol station (though I did see two people with coffeeeeeee).

After spending some time at the public park around the corner, I decided to wander back to the bakery in hopes of picking my cake sneakily 15min earlier (with success!) and to check out the other cakes/pastries on offer:

Display of Cakes and Mouses

Vast Array of Cookies, Tarts and Brownies

They have a vast selection available and contrary to a review that I read online, there are actually slices of their Strawberry and Watermelon Cake available before 9am!

The Infamous Strawberry and Watermelon Cake

The Strawberry and Watermelon Cake consists of the following layers (from top to bottom):

1. Fresh strawberries coated in a clear glaze, topped by slivered pistachios and dried rose petals
2. Thin layer of cream
3. Almond dacquoise (almond meal cake, soaked in syrup)
4. Rose-scented cream
5. Watermelon
6. Cream
7. Cake

I have no idea how these people came up with the idea of putting real watermelon inside a cake but it works. The cake was good (and looks pretty) but I wouldn't rave about it - it was like a cream overload and is probably over-hyped. However, it sure was an experience to taste.

You can book online via their website for portions of their cakes (minimum of 4 portions, as pictured above) but this requires at least 2 days notice. Otherwise, if you order within 24 hrs (like I did), you will need to ring up to make an phone order or visit the bakery real early (e.g. 7-8am) in order to purchase your cake of choice.

Brewtown Newtown

After navigating the back roads/lanes through Newtown (I think I may have driven in the wrong direction through parts of it... but there were no signs to tell me otherwise aside from the line of cars parked in the opposite direction =P), I finally made it to Brewtown Newtown - famous for their cronuts (i.e. croissant shaped in a donut and deep fried):

(Clockwise from top left) Salted Caramel Popcorn Cruffin; Lychee Rosewater Cronut; Pineapple Pistachio Cronut

Choolate Cruffin; Glazed Cruffin, Cinnamon Cruffin; Passionfruit Cruffin

Some close-ups of the cronut/cruffin:

Lychee Rosewater Cronut

Salted Caramel Popcorn Cruffin

I personally tried the salted caramel popcorn cruffin, as well as the chocolate and cinnamon cronuts - the cronuts win hands-down. Although the cronuts were the equivalent of an edible heart-attack (from all the oil/butter/sugar content), it was all soft and flaky, and just yummy.. *nomnomnom*... On the other hand, I found the cruffin to have a similar texture of a dud croissant from the supermarkets. However, it did have a surprise creamy salted caramel centre inside, and was topped by salted caramel sauce as well as a popcorn brittle with traces of edible gold leaf.

Cronuts are not to be eaten on a regular basis and should come with a health warning - to be avoided by diabetics or health fanatics.