Kafeine, Balmain (3rd Visit)

For the third timer I travel to Balmain just to visit Kafeine :) This time me and me foodie friends are invited by the lovely Mr.L (Owner of Kafeine) to taste their new menus. My review below are honest and I'm not saying its delicious just because Im invited :p

From left: Pomegranate house made tea, Green smoothie and Coffee Tonic. Okay, lemme describe these drinks. The house made is very refreshing with a hint of those floral fruity flavour and not sweet. The Green Smoothie consist of Kale, spinach, celery, cucumber, banana and blended with apple juice! Trust me, its very healthy and delish at the same time. Now the Coffee tonic is something different.. Its tonic water infused with cold drip and citrus. It is very interesting and it's my first time trying such drink, even though to be honest I'm not a fan hehe..

If you wonder what sorta dish shown in the pic below.. Lemme tell ya, proudly Indonesian ingredient: Tempeh, is the hero for this dish. Definitely for vegetarian/vegan option. The concept is like a san choy bow but with tofu and tempeh! Not sure if it's up on the menu or not, but definitely worth a try!

Green Smoothie Bowl - Quinoa, Muesli, chia, Coconut & Fresh fruit. Hmm... I think it smoothie itself need some flav punch, maybe bananas? It tasted pretty bland but fortunately the fresh fruit helps alot.

The Pulled Beef Potato hash is another dish that you must get! The slow cooked beef ribs are tender and juice with peas, bacon, poached egg and the scrumptious hollandaise sauce!

Twice Cooked Duck. Crispy skin and juicy meats. I literally drools over this right nowww!

Earl Grey Panna Cotta with Granola and Berries. Very profound earl grey note in it which we love! silky texture and nice crunch from the granola!

Crunchy French Toast - Fresh fruits, Maply syrup and Vanilla ice cream. Simple and yummy. But to me, Circa still serve the best french toast ;)

Definitely one of my fave cafe in Sydney and will come back very very soon for their latest menu update~ !!

ChirChir, Burwood

You should check the area where Chirchir is located. Burwood is a definite new foodie destination soon! Chirchir is located quite away from the junction but in this area, there are an array of new developing asian restaurant that has been swarming with people and worth to check out!

Back to Chirchir, the one thing that everyone got their instagram story is this cheesy lava on fried chicken!

The spicy chicken is not spicy, it's pretty sweet and not suiting for my palate. but some of my friend actually liked it.

For me, the Garlic chicken in the best hands down! Even better than the one with cheese :)

The unfortunate thing is may be it's still pretty new, but service can be quite slow and the portion is pretty small compare to other Korean fried chicken place anywhere else..

Shenkin Kitchen, Newtown

Lovin' this healthy place in Newtown! Known as the suburb full of vegetarian and vegan cafes, me and my sis decided to give it a go..

We ordered  "The Forrest" - Crispy cauliflower, brocolli and chickpeas, roasted pumpkin, pickled eggplantand carrot on a hummus and pistachio base. The sis and I loveeeee cauliflower and this dish def is a stand out for us and the flavours deliver too! :)

$18.5

Caulimushpo - Crispy cauliflower & Potatoes cooked in a Creamy mushroom sauce served with Za'atar bread. Another dish that is delicious but I think with the creamy sauce it can be too much at some point.. Shouldve ordered something else since we got other cauliflower dish ;p

$19

 But I will definitely come back to try other dishes on the menu!

Afterwards, went to get this Coconut froyo with Vegan brownies (sadhana kitchen). OMG im in love with this dessert! Especially that crumbly not overly sweet brownies. yuuumm!

Aslan Coffee Roaster, St Peters

One fine Sunday, the Hubby & I craved for Indonesian Coffee and so we went to Aslan Coffee Roaster. They used beans from Indonesia and to me they got a strong burnt, dark, roasted note to it which I love and I thought made a perfect cappuccino :)

The place itself is not too big but U can tell how good the coffee is by the aroma of it once u passed by this place.

These dishes that I ordered below are the first top three in their menu list ;P

First is the Peppercorn Smoked Salmon - pan fried perkedel (Indonesian style potato croquette), chipotle aioli, poached eggs & dukkah. I personally like how the salmon and the perkedel goes well together and that sauce is a perfect one for the combo. Unfortunately the egg was a bit overcooked so I can't get that eggporn photo ;P

S18

Second one is for the hubby, Maple Glazed Bacon - chipotle scrambled eggs, cherry tomatoes, avocado, water cress, dukkah & hummus on sourdough. The hubby lovesssss the caramellic notes on the bacon, me on the other hand lovess the multigrain sourdough with the avo and egg!

$17

Coconut Crusted Pandan Chiffon with fresh strawberries, crumbled walnut, orange coffee curd, mini citrus & espresso pearls. Fluffy light pandan chiffon is amazingg! Especially with the orange coffee curds! The let down for me in the crumble. It tasted a bit like oxidized nuts kept too long in a jar. But apart from that, its a great dish.

$15

I would definitely be back and recommend to everyone to check this place out! Taste yourself how aromatic Indonesian Coffee can be. They are quite strong, some people may not like it, but I love them hihi.. ^^

Cuckoo Callay, Newtown

My second visit to Cuckoo Callay to try out their new menu ! :)
I loveeee Croissant and looking at my Instagram feed with this amazing Croissant filled with all the goodness lure me directly back to Newtown.

Went with a couple of foodies and here are what we chow down ^^
First is definitely the Bacon MacDaddy - I was expecting the croissant to be flaky and crisp but apparently probably because of the filling it wasn't as i expected. But the combination of elements work perfectly well. Bacon Mac n cheese, Bacon Jam, Double smoked bacon, and poached egg, whats not to like!!

$16

The Sideways shuffle - Its either you like it or not. It's a Blue Swimmer Crab cakes with corn and avocado salsa, watermelon, Poached egg, The other foodies loved it except me ;P

$24

We also got the RESPECT Burger. Unfortunately my photo doesn't do this delish burger any justice haha! Popcorn Chicken burger with Double smoked Bacon, Gruyere cheese and sauerkraut on Brioche ~~

$19

My fave dish of the day! Even though it didn't look as pretty as the other dishes and even though im not a fan of truffle. but this dish caught my hearttttt :)
No wonder it is called 'Magic Mushroom', its instantaneously made me happyy hihihi..
Wild mushrooms on Sourdough, truffled goat cream, spinach, roasted russ tomatoes, smoked almonds and a crumbed egg. Noms!

$23

A very simple yet scrumptious dessert to end the meal. Nothing can go wrong with Triple Chocolate gooey brownies with A dollop of cream and Vanilla ice cream with crumbed nuts and biscuit. I'd give this dish 11/10!! lovee love love.

$11

One of the picture-worthy dish Cuckoo is their Lost Cookie of Pompeii - Chocolate lava cookie, peanut butter mascarpone, banana, chocolate covered popping candy and creme anglaise. I was expecting alot from the dessert, but the lava cookie was quite a hassle to eat and i think the peanut butter mascarpone is too sweet to my liking ~~

$17

Overall I am impressed yet again by the foods here, no wonder the queue are out of this worldddd ;P As long as it worth it rightt tee hee.

Kafeine, Balmain

My third visit to Kafeine in Balmain :) This time is for my Birthday Brunch. Mr.P wanted to treat me for lunch here :) Arrived on a Sunday ard 11am and the place was already packed with people. Thankfully the last table at the edge is empty ;P It's like meant to be since Mr.P and I will be taking pictures of the foods for quite a bit of time and we don't like many eyes starring at us hihi..

We were greeted nicely as usual and the Owner was there too.. Apparently we are from the same country and we kinda follow each other on Insta .. He came by to the table to say Hi and also offer the Salmon salad for breakfast (even though its only avail for lunch), how nice :)

So the must always order is their Salmon bene with homemade hollandaise sauce and potato rosti at the bottom! Always love that combo instead of muffins or sourdough ~~

$17.90

The Crispy Tasmanian Salmon Paradiso comprise of brown rice salad, currants, pickled ginger, cherry tomatoes and asparagus. Not to mention the 65 Degree Z'atar egg. Its just pure healthiness and deliciousness in a plate!

$19.90

We were torn between choosing the french toast or the pancake. But once we read 'Coconut Pancake', we made our decision then! The pancake was so fluffyyyy and soft , the fresh berries and the vanilla ice cream complemented the pancakes really well. Mr.P loveees this dishhh!

$15.90

We also ordered the Acai Bowl since we also were on an proactive mission to find the best Acai Bowl around Sydney. Even though the winner is still Culture Bean, but we will still be on the lookout :)

$17.90

Overall foods as always never disappoints, service is tentative, I'm saying this not because I know the owner but that's my honest experience and opinion :) I will definitely be back for their pulled pork hash!^^

When we walked out to the counter to pay, the owner said that it's been fixed :) The meal was on the house since it was my Birthday. I couldn't be thankful enough and It literally made my day .^^. Such a kind and generous person.

The Picnic, Burwood

After all the meals in KCS, my Sis and I continue after culinary day to The Picnic in Burwood. Located in the middle of the big Park in near the Westfield, it is a really nice place to chill and hang out with friends :) That day the weather was perfect for a lunch on the park even though during summer, the fly could be a bit annoying ;p

We were seated almost immediately since we visited the place on a weekday. Not sure how the queue will look like on the weekends. 

So, to start with our full tummy, we got the Watermelon and Strawberry crush which was refreshing..

We ordered the Not-so-French-Toast which I think is a pretty unique combinations of flavours.. The toast was somewhat taste like doughnuts, but unfortunately the it tasted like a re-heated doughnuts and I dont really like the combo with the watermelon at the bottom ;p It is pretty yes, no doubt about it but I find it rather it's for photo than taste :) *IMO* other people might actually like it...

The Lamb Garden on the other hand is soooooo yummy! After a heavy meal in KCS, we wanted something light so we go for this healthy option of Kale, Goji Berries, Spinach, Goat cheese, Nuts, Shredded Slow cooked Lamb with Mint Yoghurt :)

I would love to come back to The Picnic to try other foods and also of course with an empty tummy so we can order more of the savoury dishes :)

Ho Jiak, Starthfield

I

Ho Jiak, recently opened inside Strathfield Plaza offers a Hawker Style experience with their mini dining area and a delicious authentic Penang taste in every plates.

I went there with my foodie troops a couple months back

The foods there are well priced and the portion was good as well. To start with, there is nothing better than Penang Chee Cheong Fun. Steamed Rice Roll with Tofu Skin, Fish Balls and Sweet Black Sauce. Love the sweet sauce! And a great start to begin the meals.

Chee Chong Fun $7.80

Next to come is the Bah kut Teh. Pork spare Ribs, Pork Belly and Deep Fried tofu cooked in a Chinese Herbal Soup. The soup is lighter in colour than the one I had in Penang but the taste itself is really good and not too herby as might be offensive to some people. Bakut teh that night was one of the favourite among us..

Bah Kut Teh $13.80

 And the must order whenever you visited Penang or Penang-food restaurant is their Char Kwey teow. With a nice smoky wok aroma and chewy rice noodle is the perfect sign that this is legit stuff! Cooked with cockles, lap tjeong, prawns and egg! I did add a bit more soy sauce and chilli to it cause i love my food salty and spicy ;p

Char Kuey teow $12.80

Nasi Pattaya is Malaysian Fried Rice inside Omelette almost like Omurice in Japan but this one is more complex in terms of flavour in my opinion. Almost every table got this dish and yeah, it tasted amazing ;) It looks simple but hey it's really hard to make a perfect fried rice without ready made paste, in my opinion :)

Nasi Pattaya $12.80

Another fried rice that night but the special thing about this one is the Sambal Durian. Yes ladies and gentlement, there is a hint of Durian inside that chilli paste and I love it. It tasted pretty weird on the first bite cause who put durian in chillies right, but it actually is a good combination after all.

Harmee - Penang Prawn Noodle soup is my personal favourite! Rich broth with perfectly cooked noodle, fresh prawns and sliced of pork belly with boiled egg and fried shallot! You just have to try them. No words to explain ;P I also did put heaps of belacan sambal in it. Yuum

Harmee - $12.80

Overall, I love their foods! We ate our heart out and we were sad cause we didn't get to try the Hainanese Chicken rice and did not get to taste their Michael Jackson. But that means, another reason to visit! The pic below shows how crazy we were, 6 of us and we bought that much, plus the Roti Canai with Chicken Curry that I didn't get to take photo cause we were too hungry and the foods were too precious just to be photo-ed and stared ;P

Short Post on a Brunch Date to Newtown

Last Saturday, went on a brunch date with my mate, Mr.P. Why newtown? cause at first we would like to try the Bacon Ramen in Cuckoo Callay which unfortunately run out as they will be having a new menu soon. Disappointed by the news, we decided to walk all the way to Brewtown Newtown to revisited the place :)

Thankfully the queue was not as crazy as when I went before, maybe cause we arrived there quite early.. Looking at the menu as we were seated, I was torn between having the pork hash or the muesli.. But I ended up choosing the pork hash cause it's been too long since I have fresh peas!! And Mr.P got the fancy gazpacho thingy ;p

Chilli Fennel Pork Shoulder Hash, cabbagem Peas, Poached Eggs, Parmesan and Cumin Crumbs

Almond and Pistachio gazpacho, Heirloom carrots, Cumin Roast Cauliflower, Kale, poached Egg on Toast.

The verdict of the two.... As usual I love what I ordered.. It's been awhile now since I ate a very tender juicy pork shoulder with fresh peas and the cumin crumb are just a perfect addition to the dish. I didn't get a lot of the hash n my plate, which I', not complaining cause the generous amount of shredded pork satisfied me enough! Tried Mr.P's fancy gazpacho, it was alright for me, my favourite would be the cauliflower! The gazpacho can be too much at some point that Mr.P didn't end up finishing them~

After our "light" breakfast in BWtown, we visited Bake Kobo - Japanese bakery for their cutey breads! Im so sad that I didn't get to buy the Bear shaped bread cause they sold out apparently >.< But Luckily, I still go the Yummy soft sweet Turtle shaped bread, the Green tea tart and the Fish Roe Bread..

After getting the bread, we sat down in Hakiki Turkish ice cream just next to the bakery. It's like the perfect place to sit and chat around with the comfy outdoor setting, while slurping on the ice and munching on the breads ^^

I got the Baklava ice cream flavor which according to the guy is the best seller. I tried a couple of flavors before, I think I prefer the Turkish Delight and the Melon Feta, which i'll surely be back for :)