New Shanghai Night, Ashfield

Last Sunday we were craving for some dumplings and so Mr.P suggested to have lunch in Ashfield, the home of all the yummy Shanghai cuisine which specialises in Dumplings. Our original destination was New Shanghai restaurant, but even at 1:30PM, the queue was horrendous! Luckily, he said that Shanghai Night serves great foods as well. So we head there and had to wait for around 15mins.

Looking at the menu, I was surprised to see how relatively cheap the price of the foods are. Will look in detail on the prices of each dish later on. On the right of the entrance is where the dumplings were made and then they were brought to the kitchen for the cooking process.

The place was not too big and most of the waitress can't really speaks English, I'm thankful that I know some Mandarin so I can communicate with them for ordering and other stuff ;p On my way to our table, I couldn't help but seeing all those big plates of foods on every table. So glad I came to this place. Cheap and Big Portion!

First off, we got Pork and Veggies Wonton soup, it came in a madium bowl of 10 pieces. The soup was okay, but the dumplings were great! The filling was generous :)

Pork and Veggies Wonton Soup $5.50

We also ordered the Stir Fry Handmade Noodle with pork and veggies, they used the thick and chewy Hokkien Noodle which I love and seasoned it with some mushrooms, bokchoy, oyster sauce and Sweet soy sauce. The dish itself is pretty oily but I can't help it but eating most of it cause I love thick and chewy noodle!!

$8.80

The must-not-miss dish in this place is the Fujian Fried Rice ! Almost every table got this dish. It was a combination of fish fillet, squid, prawns, baby corn,  mushrooms, snow peas, carrot and onions stir fry in a thick delicious gravy and poured on top of fried rice with scrambled eggs in it, sooooo addictive! The portion can literally feed 2 people if you don't order anything else.

Fujian Fried rice $13.80

Xiao Long Bao is something that you can't just miss in Shanghai Cuisine! It may be small in size but it's surely has a big punch of flavour and the juice/soup inside the dumplings just burst in your mouth adding more flavour to the already yummy pork fillings~~

8 pcs for $6.80!!!

We also ordered the Pan Fried Pork Bun with shallot which came in 9 pcs, big giant bun, again with generous filling, crispy on the bottom half of the bun and soft on the other half. Beware of the juicy soup that's inside these buns too!

Pan fried pork bun $8.80

Lastly, we had the Pork and Coriander steamed dumplings. You can choose the filling that you like and how you want to cook it and even the size! I ordered the small size which have 12 dumplings from memory.. There was nothing special with this dumplings but maybe it would be better to get them pan fried!

Pork and Coriander dumpling $8.80

Our bills came up to $12.80AUD per person and we were so full! Man, I should've visited Ashfield sooner for yummy and cheap Chinese foods ~~ Lesson Learnt..

Farewell for now but I will definitely be back ^^

Do Dee Paidang Thai Noodle Bar, Chinatown

I read a post by Helen about this new thai place that just recently open in Chinatown area. It is located just next to Aarons hotel near Market City. And to speak frankly, I never visited restaurant beyond Market City Area except Kura and Satang thai :)

What tempt me to visit this place is the Spicy Tom Yum Noodle and their level of spiciness. It's no surprise that I'm chilli freak and is always keen to try anything spicy! So I went there last Saturday with Bebski and 2 other friends.

The place was busy when we walked in, the payment counter on the left of the entrance and a dessert bar at the end of the area. It was full with the Thai patrons which is a sign of authentic Thai foods :)

I ordered the Cordial Milk tea which I saw on Helen's post as well hehe... Yes, the bright pink colour is the one thing that caught my attention ;p The drink was milky and not too sweet, but I'd expect some more Thai tea note in it...

Cordial Milk Tea $3.80

For entrée, we tried the Fish cakes. It came in four pieces with diced cucumber and crushed nut on top and smothered with the sweet chilli sauce. I do recommend the fish cake. It's probably the second tastiest Thai fish cake after Lang suan Thai's ;p!

Fish cake 4 pcs for $8.80

Now here come the noodles. The spiciness level starts from 1 which they called Monster, Level 2 Devil, Level 3 Lava, Level 5 Super Volcano and the spiciest level 7 is Supernova. I'm very excited to try level 5 and 7!! Apparently when I ordered I said lv 5 and 7 but the waitress thought I ordered no 5 and 7 on the menu which was level 1 and 3 T.T

So disappointed but the waitress insisted for us to try level 1 and 3 first. For every bowl, you can choose the type of noodle from vermicelli, instant noodle, egg noodle, flat rice noodle and many others. I chose their first option which is the Fresh Thin Rice Noodle. The tom yum soup is not the classic tomyum flavour that u might expect, it was spicy and has that tanginess of tomyum and yet you can't denote it as tomyum! Man, I might be confusing, but u gotta try it yourself and let me know hehe!

The noodle soup also comes with a couple of fish balls, pork slices, couple of beef balls, shallots, coriander and deep fried wonton pastry pieces.

Level 1 $5.50

Level 1 was nothing for me, it was an easy level. Level 3 however is burning! Especially when u eat it while it's still hot. The chilli literally just kick at the back of the throat! I thinkkkk I may still be able to handle level 5... Next time definitely! A good thing about this place too is that you can order the noodle in small portion for $5.50 so you can try other foods as well.

Level 3 - Lava

Mr.P who can't handle chilli ordered Doo Dee Variety which I think is similar to the others but it has no chilli in it.

Doo Dee Variety $6.50

A must order dish every time I try a new thai place :) The pork belly was good but not great. some of the pork were hard to chew but they are really generous with the amount of sauce which we lovee.

Prik Khing Moo Krob $13.90

Bebski suggested to order this dish called Tum Tarb or Tum Karb I can't recall. So you can choose the type of salad in the middle from papaya salad or mango salad and other varities and then surrounding it are delicacies such as While fried fish, Deep fried School of Prawns, Chicken Wings, Pork skin Cracker, some kind of Ham, boiled egg, and veggies. I got the Som tum (Papaya salad) which was really refreshing, crunchy papaya and tangy sauce. I do recommend to get the Deep fried prawns and chicken wings from the entree menu!! It was yummmyy...

Tum Tarb/karb $19.90

The following dish is Beef stir fry in Garlic and pepper sauce which also comes with steamed Brocolli at the bottom. Nothing special in particular but we're just thankful that there were veggies on the plate cause the rest of the dish that we ordered are meats ;p

Beef in Garlic and Pepper sauce $12.90

Pork Ribs is a must order! The pork was so tender and fell of the bone and the sauce basting the ribs was a mixture of the usual Western BBQ sauce with an eastern spice hit! It's a new flavour to my palate but I'm liking it!

Pork Ribs $14.90

We ordered a lot of foods for the four of us. At the end of the meal, the waitress who was about to take our plate was amazed looking at the empty plates on our table and said that she thought we wouldn't be able to finish everything ;p Well, you underestimate Indonesian's belly my friend! hehe.. After those yummy meals, we can still fit this Fried Bread sticks with Pandan sauce to our fully tummy!

4 pieces for $5.50

Highly recommended new eating spot for chilli lovers! They really know how to make spicy noodle soup!!

Ayam Goreng 99, Kingsford

I have been posting a lot of Indonesian restaurant lately. Been missing home this past weeks hehe..  Ayam goreng 99 is very famous in Kingsford area for it's grilled and fried chicken. They are also known for their HOT chilli which I loveeee!

They closed on Monday and Tuesday but the rest of the days, especially dinner, expect queues! They are popular not only among Indonesians but also others :) The interior of the place is pretty similar to restaurant that you'll find if you visit Jakarta..

The question of should I get rice and chicken or should I get the fried vermicelli always comes to mind every time I come here. But this time I'm getting both! The fried vermicelli come not long after we ordered. It's hard to describe the taste, all I can say it's Authentically Indonesian with slices of fish balls, chicken and eggs. The smoky wok aroma is just like an icing on a cake! So highly recommended. Their fried noodle is recommended as well.

Fried Vermicelli $11

Bebski ordered the Pepes Teri or Roasted anchovies in chilli, onion, tumeric and wrapped in banana leaves. If you're feeling adventurous, you are welcome to try this :) It tasted like a hard tofu with anchovies bits in it :)

Pepes teri $5

As usual, bebski got the grilled chicken. This dish is so famous that some of my Indo friends reckon that even in Indo, the grilled chicken is not as tasty as in 99! The chicken is grilled with sweet soy sauce and herbs and so u get the sweetness and also the charred goodness to it.

Grilled Chicken $6

I always get the deep fried chicken. They also have another option of the fried chicken served Javanese style which is slightly sweeter than the regular Deep fried marinated chicken. Sometimes the chicken breast can be too dry so to guarantee satisfaction, I recommend the grilled chicken or the javanese marinated or just get chicken thigh hehe..

Deep Fried Marinated Chicken (Ayam Goreng) $6

To complete the meal, a rice is a must. Sometimes I got the coconut steam rice with fried onions, but most of the time they run out of it during dinner cause it's sooo delish!
This post does not contain a lot of dishes ordered but that's because there were only 2 of us eating.
I don't think I have to say or promote much about this restaurant cause taste speaks louder than words and pictures, so go ahead and visit them!

Paul's Famous Burger, Sylvania

Continuing the journey in Sylvania last week, we arrived 10mins early to Seven Lantern and we saw this burger joint next to it was packed with people queueing! I was curious how good is the burger and it's weird that I heard about it before. As we dine in Seven Lantern, I asked my friend if the burger next door any good and he said yes.

Bebski then told me to get the Burger while we're in Sylvania. Cause it is far from our house and we wouldn't be back anytime soon just for a burger. So I decided to get one and try. Good thing that Bebski realized that they close at 7PM. It was unbelievable that there's a food business that closes during peak dinner hours.

I went there, with no cash with me but luckily they provide their own ATM machine inside. Haha!

A giant sign of their menu was displayed behind the ATM and a lady approached me asking what would I like to order. I asked her what's the popular dish in here and she recommended 'The Works', so I got one of those and also the Chilli Chicken Burger

While waiting for my order to be ready, I saw a lot of article posted on almost every wall in the place, showing so many awards this place has got, they have been in the business for 50 years now and they have won their first award in 1998 from The Daily Telegraph and their recent one in 2013 for Sydney Cheap Eats Awards.

The only unfortunate thing is that we can't taste em while they're still hot cause we were in the middle of our Degustation in Seven Lantern, so I put those babies in the car and ate it at home 2 hours later T.T

The works is definitely their best burger! The combinations of Bacon, egg, beef can never go wrong! It just match perfectly. Even after 2 hours and our belly were full, the burger still taste so gooodd and the bun was soft. The pic definitely did not represent how good the burger was but trust me, it's worth a try!

The works $9.70

The chilli chicken was nothing special. The chicken breast was quite dry and tough when we got home. It was really disappointing that we can't taste the fresh warm burger T.T

Chilli Chicken Burger $7.20

 I would probably be back again to eat their burgers properly with some hot chips and peanut butter crunch!

 ^^

Seven Lantern, Sylvania

Mr.M works as a chef in Seven lantern and invited me to come and enjoy their Degustation menu! I've been there before on Valentine's day last year but haven't got the chance to write a review of the place. So this time, I'll make sure I take a good pictures of the food and write a review!

If it wasn't for Seven Lantern, I think I will never visit Sylvania as it is quite far from where I live and I rarely hear anything exciting from that Suburb hehe.
Mr.M made the booking on Sunday cause that day is a more relaxing day so he can serve us fully and chat at the same time.

The design of the entrance looks like we're about to enter a Chinese Dynasty or something ;p

But inside is a modern table setting and decor, with few paintings on the wall and a good lightning.

The place have 2 floors but it is not so busy on Sunday so they close upstairs. The counter besides where bebski sits is the Teppan Station where Mr.M works those magic hands creating delicious foods for us.

To start with I order a cocktail called My Name is Ryan and I'm an Alcoholic , what a catchy name ;p It is actually a fresh strawberries and passion fruit based Sake Cocktail. It is sweet and refreshing, the alcohol note is not too overpowering.

$9

Then the Degustation starts of with Beef Tataki, fresh vegetables strips wrapped in a thinly sliced seared Angus Beef carpaccio drizzled with Nash Pear and Soy & Ginger reduction. I thought I wouldn't like them and Bebski was so ready to take it away from me but after a full bite of it, I was mesmerized by how flavourful the beef was with combination of those crunchy veggies and yummy dressing!

The second dish arrived, Chef's Selection - the dish differs every week depending on the outcome of 'conflict' between three chefs in the kitchen :) This time they serve a seared scallop with pea puree and topped with salmon roe. The scallop was fresh and cooked to perfection with some smokiness in it and complemented by that creamy puree, but one scallop is never enough for me! hahaha..

Third dish to come is the Huyau Pork, Crispy Pork Belly with Lemon, apple and Honey Fusion sour sauce and garnished with cold wasabi daikon. Those pork was just delish. Melts in the mouth and the crispy skin is a winner! I really can't get enough of the sauce as well, never tasted anything like that before, it made me salivate even more couldn't wait for the next dish to come!

Dish No.4 is the Tom Yum Salmon, The salmon was cooked to perfection and the tomyum sauce was tangy but I don't really get the idea of matching the two hehe.. To be honest it was an acquired taste for me but I don't mind trying new things together :)

The dish that Bebski and I was waiting for!! The Emperor's Prawn. Teppan grilled fresh King Prawn topped with a mixture of Japanese Mayo and Cheese Sauce and then blow torched to burnt brown! I can only say that the taste was just Divineeee ~~ I would really like to try making that mayo-cheese combo and blow torch it at home! And again, 1 is never enough for uss T.T It's just sooo gooooddd ~~

Next to come is a beef dish. You have a choice of Angus steak or Imperial Beef Rib but we are getting both! hehe. The Angus Steak was teppan grilled with butter, streaked with honey roasted soy sauce and served with steamed rice and teppan grilled veggies. The beef melts in the mouth and the sauce was just great!

The Imperial Beef ribs is made from Beef short ribs marinated overnight with garlic, shallot and sesame then cooked for hours in Soy reductions served with steamed rice as well. I meat was so tender and fell of the bone. The sauce however has a strong onion flavour and onion is never my friend so Bebski ended up cleaning the plate for me :) If you're wondering those 2 small balls, it was a carrot and a radish hehe!

Apart from the dishes that were included in the Degustation Menu, Chef M, aka my friend Mr.M gave us a couple of dishes from the A la carte menu such as this scrumptious Bork Goroke, Cream cheese encapsulated in garlic marinated mince beef and pork neck served with hoisin and gochujang sauce..

It was meaty and yet have that creaminess from the cheese, crunch from the veggies and tanginess from the sauce. A mouthful of pure yuminess! Would definitely back for this one little bomb! They sell it 4pcs for $17

Another dish that we got to taste is the Cuttlefish curls, the cuttlefish was lightly grilled on the teppan, dashed with their homemade Teriyaki sauce and served with a couple of heart-shaped potatoes :) The cuttlefish got that smokiness from the teppan and the sauce complemented it really well. From the A la carte menu, it costs $16 per plate.

A pic of Mr.M doing his thing while the other two kids were impressed by his skills hhehe

Finally, the dessert came! First let me describe this sexy Sticky date pudding. Warm, moist and springy pudding topped with fresh berries, covered in Caramel sauce and served with a dollop of creamy vanilla ice cream. A perfect dessert to end the night with smile :) Nothing beats a warm cake with ice cream!

Second dessert to come was Bebski's favourite and not mine cause it's all about chocolate. It was a Chocolate Mousse Fondue, the Mousse is made up from Belgian Belcolade Dark chocolate with creamy warm white chocolate sauce and shaved milk chocolate curls on the side. It is literally 3 types of chocolate in one plate ;p

Sometimes I'm glad that my palate is different from bebs so we don't have to fight over one dish! Well, pork belly is an exception though kekekke..

A pic with the chef of the night and the owner, David. He was a very nice and friendly guy. He will be in the restaurant almost everyday, going over to almost every table, greeting them and sometimes sits down chatting with them. He is a generous guy and always smile :) Mr.M always told me how fun his work place is and work almost never feels like work ;p

Picture compilation of the Degustation Set for the Valentine's Dinner back in Feb 2012/2013.

Overall, I had an amazing night with my friend, had alot of great foods and will definitely come back when they have a new Degustation menu :)

Thanks for the invite and hospitality Mr.M!!