Bills @ Surry Hills – Fluffy Brekkie

Even before we head off to Sydney, Erin has already done a lot of research for all the nice places to eat in Sydney. Bills was one of the top two on our list. We have a heard so many good reviews on the internet that we actually knew what we would order before we are even there. That morning we woke up earlier to walk from our hotel to Bills. We went to the branch in Surry Hills.

Sunrise Drink

After ‘pretending’ to look at the menu, I ordered a Sunrise Drink and Erin an orange juice. I am usually not a yoghurt drink person but I just had to order it as the name best described the weather that day it was on every other table there. It is a blend of orange juice, banana, yoghurt and berries. To my surprise, it was really nice and had to drink it slowly to have enough room for the rest of the meal.

Ricotta Hotcakes

Erin’s Ricotta Hotcakes came first drizzled with honeycomb butter on a bed of bananas. I am not sure what the ricotta does to the hotcakes (I can’t find the ricotta) but it does give it a different taste to a normal hotcake. The hotcakes were really thick but they were still fluffy. I would have to say it was the best hotcakes I have ever eaten.

BIG Breakfast

Mine finally came and it does live up to our expectations. I ordered Scrambled Organic Eggs with Sourdough with Bacons and Mushrooms. It usually only comes with sourdough. Any extras have to be ordered separately. After eating it, we dare say that it is comparable to Richmond’s Hill Café in Melbourne. The eggs were scrambled to perfection and the mushrooms were still very juicy.

Hot Chocolate with Callebaut

We ended our brunch with a glass of hot chocolate. Not just any hot chocolate but Hot Chocolate with Callebaut (Chocolate for professionals, inspired by professionals). The longer you stir the thicker it gets. It’s a must for choco-addict.

359 Crown Street

SURRY HILLS

NSW 2010

02 9360 4762

7:00am – 10:00pm (Monday to Sunday)

www.bills.com.au

Harry’s Café de Wheels @ Woolloomooloo – The Tiger

If you are in Sydney and you have not heard about Harry’s Café, then you are either one of the following:-

1) You don’t go out at all

2) You don’t eat fast food

or

3) YOU ARE NOT IN SYDNEY

Harry’s started way back in the 1930s and has been serving since then. Unlike before, there are about 4-5 branches in the whole of Sydney now so no excuse for not trying. I went back to the original location which is near the Woolloomooloo Wharf. Well, not the original original location but close enough. Harry’s is actually famous for opening during the wee hours and definitely a spot for all the party goers catching a bite after a long night of fermented liquid. They served food like pies, hot dogs and sausage rolls. So what is so special about this? I have the same thought too until I went there and tried.

The Tiger

Well, I wouldn’t lie to you and say it is the best pie in the world. Actually it is just a normal pie. In fact I think Sargent’s Chunky Meat Pie is a notch better. We ordered the Famous ‘The Tiger’. It’s basically a meat pie topped with mashed potatoes, mashed peas and gravy. There you go, now you know why it is famous. If it is just the pie itself, I don’t think I will ever go back again after this. But because of the extras, I can’t help but seeing myself going there again next time. I am going to try their Hot Dog de Wheels when I am there again.

Corner Cowper Wharf Roadway & Brougham Road
WOOLLOOMOOLOO

NSW 2011

02 9357 3074

8:30am – 2:30am (Monday to Wednesday)

8:30am – 3:30am (Thursday)

8:30am – 4:00am (Friday)

9:00am – 4:00am (Saturday)

9:00am – 1:00am (Sunday)

www.harryscafedewheels.com.au

Shakespeare Hotel (Shakey’s) @ Surry Hills – Recession Ribs

While we were in Sydney, our friends (Ben and Phoebe) brought us to a pub in a secluded area near the city. It’s surrounded by houses. Just like my title, it’s a CHEAP CHEAP CHEAP place to eat lunch. I would recommend to anyone that is either in Sydney or going to Sydney to try out this place. The whole menu (over 20 mains to choose from) is basically $10. You can choose from steak (yes, a whole piece of steak with two sides), bangers and mash, BBQ Ribs which we tried and many others. During Happy Hour (3pm-6pm), $2.50 for schooners and house wine are $3 for house spirits.

BBQ Ribs

As it was our tea break (it’s only during our holidays that we eat 5 times a day), we shared a HUGE plate of BBQ ribs on a king sized bed of chips. For $10, it’s worth every single penny dollar or even more. Taste-wise, it could have been better but who is going to complain with a price like this. As expected, we couldn’t finish it.

It was a hot day and I had 2 pints of beer to go with the ribs. Ahhhhhhh……. You can imagine the satisfaction I had that afternoon.

200 Devonshire Street

SURRY HILLS

NSW 2010

02 9319 6883

10:00am – 12:00am (Monday to Saturday)

12:00pm – 10:00pm (Sunday)

Sydney Fish Market @ Pyrmont – Seafood Galore

In the next couple of posts, we will bring you on a journey with us to all the food we had in Sydney. It was our anniversary getaway and also my very first time in Sydney.

Anyone who has gone to Sydney would have heard about Sydney Fish Market before. If you haven’t, you are probably not in Sydney. Quoting my friend, “You have to go there at least 10 times.” Even with all this hype, we were not disappointed at all. We were only there for 3 days but we still managed to go there 3 times. For those of you who might be asking what is so good about a fish market, the reason is simple. It has food. It has FRESH food. It has FRESH RAW food.

Squid, Tuna & Salmon

Almost all the shops allows you to pick a fish and they will slice it up for you. We had salmon, tuna and squid. Lots of it. They even sell little boxes of soya sauce that is already pre-mixed with wasabi to add a bit of kick when you dip your fresh, juicy sashimi in it.

Fresh Oysters

Something is definitely missing if we don’t mention it is, the freshly shucked oysters. All the oysters are priced according to their sizes. I think in total we ate about a few dozens of oysters of different sizes. I am not sure how to put it in words but there was one type which we ate that tasted like butter. Y-U-M!!!

Seafood Platter

For those of you who don’t eat raw food (Let’s not go there but WHAT’S WRONG WITH YOU???), you can still enjoy the fresh seafood that is grilled, deep-fried or baked. We had this seafood platter but it is definitely not as good as the raw ones.

Chocolate Coated Strawberries

Another thing I do want to mention is there is a fruit shop (there is only one so you will not missed it) that sells chocolate coated strawberry STRAWBERRY. It’s huge and juicy. If you are a chocolate lover (everyone should be one), you have to try this. It’s highly recommended

My only complaint was my stomach wasn’t able to digest fast enough for me to eat more. Sigh! It’s ok. There will always be next time.

Sydney Fish Market

Bank Street

PYRMONT

NSW 2009

02 9004 1100

Anniversary Dinner @ Home – Mushy Night

Our wedding anniversary was fast approaching and I decided to surprise Erin by cooking a 7 course meal by using mushroom as my main secret ingredient (obviously this is heavily influenced by Iron Chef America). “So now America friends, with an open heart and an empty stomach, I say unto you in the words of my uncle: ALLEZ CUISINE!!”

Oysters – Mushroom Ceviche

For starters, it was freshly shucked oysters. Since I can’t go with the usual kilpatrick or mornay style, I used a ceviche instead. Hence, Oysters – Mushroom Ceviche. The ceviche actually substituted the need of lemon.

Portobello Mushroom and Beef Carpaccio

First up for entree was ‘Portobello Mushroom and Beef Carpaccio’. This was really simple as everything can be pre-prepared except the rare beef. After pan frying the beef for 1 minute on each side, you will need to cut the beef as thin as possible and pound it with the back of your knife.

Mushroom Soup

Next was ‘Mushroom Soup’. This soup was unbelievably easy to make and it was made from scratch. Best served with dinner rolls but I only had multigrain bread that night. It wasn’t too bad after I toasted it.

Prosciutto Wrapped Enoki Mushroom

Final entree for the night was ‘Prosciutto Wrapped Enoki Mushroom’. This entree was improvised from a recipe I saw on a cooking channel. He made bacon wrapped asparagus instead. This was the simplest dish to make and it looked impressive.

Seafood Stuffed Mushroom

After 3 wonderful and delicious (quoting myself) entree, the main was served. For a mushroom themed night, I can’t get away with not making stuffed mushroom as one of the dishes. Since Erin loves seafood, the stuffing I chose was seafood based. It has prawns, scallops and crab on a big flat mushroom and two little fresh mushrooms.

Mushroom Seafood Risotto

My last savoury dish for the night was ‘Mushroom Seafood Risotto”. This took me the longest to prepare and cook. It was also my first time cooking any type of risotto but guess what, it turned out to be really nice (or maybe Erin was too nice to give me any negative comment).

Mushroom Ice-Cream

Last but not least, it’s dessert time. As everyone would know, using mushroom in dessert is quite impossible. Finally after a lot of researching and many hours of looking through the internet, I made ‘Mushroom Ice-Cream’. It’s not what you think it is. The closest I could get to match with the night’s theme was to make something that resembles a mushroom.

If I have to judge my own food, I would give myself 10/10 for every single dish because I am bias. That’s why I will leave it to Erin for constructive criticism.

Well, we had a wonderful night of wonderful food with absolutely wonderful company. By the end of the night, we were as stuffed as the mushrooms. LOL!

Anyone who is interested in any of the recipes, just drop me a line in the comment. I am more than happy to share it with you. It was just too long for me to type out every single one of it.

Captain America’s @ Ferntree Gully – Burp!-gers

In my quest to find the BEST burger joint, I came upon this. Introducing, Captain America’s Hamburger Heaven. The location might not be the most convenient but I believe it’s always worth travelling for any burgers, especially a good one.

Do take some time to read the things on the wall and ceiling. Some are really interesting and funny.

Onion Rings with BBQ Rib Sauce

We started off with a plate of onion rings that comes together with a special BBQ rib sauce. You have to try this (especially Malaysians who have only tried the onion rings in Burger King, Malaysia).

Aussie Burger

Erin had the Aussie Burger. Just like any other Aussie “dish”, it has a fried egg, onions, mushrooms, cheese, lettuce, tomato, beetroot and of course a BIG and JUICY piece of beef patty.

The Wild Thing Burger

I ordered myself “The Wild Thing Burger”. *ACHTUNG!! Not suitable for the light hearted or anyone with a potential heart attack.* Between the two pieces of burger buns, it has onions, mushrooms, 2 slices of crispy bacon, cheese, special chilli sauce and mustard. Oh yeah, did I mention it is double of everything? Yup, you do the math yourself. I was practically eating the burger TWICE.

Almost all burgers come with fries or some sort of carbs.

I am looking forward to my next visit as I might try the ‘Big Heavenly Burger Challenge’.

38 Forest Road

FERNTREE GULLY

VIC

03 9758 0711

5:30pm – 10:00pm (Monday – Sunday)

12:00pm – 3:00pm (Sunday)

www.captainamericas.com.au

Nasi Lemak House @ Carlton – Nasi Lemak

We were in the city recently and decided to satiate our craving for Malaysian food at Nasi Lemak House.

Nasi Lemak Traditional

Nasi Lemak Traditional comes with coconut rice, fried anchovies, fried peanuts, cucumber, sambal, fried egg, papadam and deep fried drumstick. It’s definitely good value for money seeing this place is located near the city and the portion is generous. The only complain we have is the sambal. Back in Malaysia, the sambal would have been spicy but yet sweet whereas this is spicy and towards the sour-ish side. The chicken is so much better than the one in Rich Maha. The meat is still moist and the size is bigger as well. You can always add another piece of chicken for just $2.50.

Nasi Lemak Kelantan

Nasi Lemak Kelantan is exactly like Nasi Lemak Traditional but without the sambal. Instead, the chicken is covered with a sweet and sour sauce with a bit of spiciness in it. I definitely prefer this to Nasi Lemak Traditional as the sauce is really appetising.

115 Grattan Street

CARLTON

VIC 3053

11:00am – 10:00pm (Monday – Friday)

12:00pm – 10:00pm (Saturday – Sunday)

www.nasilemakhouse.com.au

Red Hot Wok @ South Yarra – Chilli Crab

It all started when a friend of ours got us all hyped up about (Singapore) Chili Crab. Next thing we know, we were there waiting for our dinner at 9pm (Yup, 9pm for dinner cause that night was fully booked and we were desperate). After about 15 minutes, we got our ‘table’(4 square tables placed in a line and 8 of us had to face the wall. use your imagination). We quickly placed our order and to my very surprise, it came out pretty quickly.

Chilli Crab

The ’star’ of the night arrived. All the hype was over after our first bite. It was good but definitely not how I imagined it to be. I would definitely prefer it to be spicier (just like how it should be). You can either order the crab with egg noodles or roti (in Australia it does not mean bread/mantou, it means roti canai).

Torched Ribs

The second dish was Torched Ribs. It’s something like burnt King Do Sauce Spare Ribs but wrapped in foil. The naked flame does make a difference as the burnt part of the meat blends in really well and brings a new taste to the dish.

Kangkong Belachan

This is actually my favorite dish for the night, Kangkong Belachan. Simple but cooked to perfection. The kangkong was not overcooked and the taste of the belachan (shrimp paste) was perfect in my opinion.

Tofu

This is one of their signature dishes so you HAVE to try it if you are there. Presentation was nothing to shout about but the texture of the tofu was A-M-A-ZING. It literally melts in your mouth.

313 Toorak Road

SOUTH YARRA

VIC 3141

03 9826 8163

11:00am – 10:30pm (Sunday-Thursday)

11:00am – 11:00pm (Friday-Saturday)

Enrik’s Cafe @ Blackburn – Apple Rhubarb Crumble

As we had just enjoyed a ‘healthy’ lunch at Sketches, we knew we had to balance it up by having something sinful for dessert! Although the plan was to drive around and just pop in to any cafe which caught our eye, my brain refused to play along and so I drove to Blackburn to try out a cafe I spotted the last time I picked Erin up from Blackburn Station – Enrik’s Cafe.

'E' galore! They had 'E's on their chairs and even the door handle (unfortnately, no pictures)

The bar & selection of cakes and cheese

The kitchen was closed when we got there, and we could only order cakes, cheeses or biscuits, which suited us just fine. Unfortunately, there wasn’t a large selection of cakes or biscuits so we ended up ordering a  less than sinful piece of Apple Rhubarb Crumble ($9 with coffee or tea) to share.

Enrik's Apple Rhubarb Crumble

The crumble was served with a scoop of ice cream and some sort of red sourish  sauce as decor (probably raspberry sauce). We were  both equally disappointed with the Apple Rhubarb Crumble. The base was very bland (did not have the usual flavor and texture of a biscuit base) and the filling was overly tart. What annoyed us more, was the lack of ‘crumble’ on the slice we received. To add to our  disappointment the ice cream it was served with had ice chips and frost on it! Ai yai yai…!

Enrik's Chai Latte

If you haven’t noticed, I have recently become addicted to soy chai latte and was really let down by the strength of chai in the latte I ordered. It was even lighter than Foo Doo’s Cafe and the milk was not frothed properly. Although I initially had in mind to order a regular latte after the chai latte, I decided against it. Just. In. Case. Erin played it safe and asked for a peppermint tea – there was no way they could get that wrong!

On the plus side, the waitress who served us was really friendly.

Value for money: Meh.

Return potential: Definitely not for dessert or coffee. Other online reviews claim that their dinner menu is rather good, so a definite maybe.

25 Railway Road

BLACKBURN

VIC 3130

03 9894 0611

9:30am – 9:30pm (Monday – Saturday)

9:00am – 9:30pm (Sunday)

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As we just had a ‘healthy’ lunch at

Sketches(link), we decided to balance up and

continue with a dessert. The plan was to

drive around and just stop at any cafe. My

brain can never work this way so I decided

to drive to Blackburn to try out a cafe I

spotted the last time I picked Erin up from

Blackburn Station, Enrik’s Cafe.

As the kitchen was closed during that hour,

we could only order from cakes, cheese

platter or biscuits. There wasn’t much

selection on cakes or biscuits so we ended

up ordering a piece of Apple Rhubarb Crumble

to share.

*picture*

The crumble came with a scoop of ice cream

and some sort of red sourish sauce as

decoration. I would have to say that the

crumble is below average. The filling is too

sour and the pastry is not very crumbly.

*picture*

If you haven’t noticed, I am really addicted

to soy chai latte(link) at the moment but

was really disappointed with the strength of

chai. it was even lighter than Foo Doo’s

Cafe(link) and the milk was not frothed

properly. That stopped me from ordering an

extra latte.

25 Railway Road

BLACKBURN

VIC 3130

03 9894 0611

9:30am – 9:30pm (Monday – Saturday)

9:00am – 9:30pm (Sunday)

Sketches @ Burwood – Lazy Saturday Lunch

After a couple of weeks of obvious ‘hinting’ about wanting to go on a date, Ed finally took me out last Saturday to a place I’ve always wanted to try – Sketches Cafe on Burwood Highway. As the shop front faces the main road, the parking for this cafe is at the rear of the shop. The next part may sound a little corny, but it’s true – the moment we made our way to the back entrance, I was in love!

The back entry into the al fresco dining area

It was just so pretty with a natural arch and a cute sign board that announced the cafe that lay beyond. To get to the cafe, you had to walk beneath the arch, through a small manicured garden and meander your way across a  pebbled path which was flanked by a couple of al fresco dining tables (which would be perfect for diners with dogs!).

We were greeted by a man (the owner?) who ushered us in.  I was surprised to see that inside, it was little small with no more than a dozen tables. Almost every table had an occupant or two and there was just a buzz of happy conversations which would make it a fantastic place for a weekend lunch or to catch up with a couple of friends.

The menu was rather extensive, offering pastas, salads, rolls, burgers and sandwiches and also catered for vegetarians and gluten free guests.

Prawn Risotto

Ed decided to try their Prawn Risotto  ($16.90) which in our honest opinion, was rather fantastic. It had prawns (obviously!) and was cooked in a home made tomato, basil and capsicum sauce with shaved parmesan cheese to finish. Although the texture of the risotto was rather hard (think basmati rice), it was still yummy!

Chicken Schnitzel Ciabatta Roll

I opted for something healthier and ordered a Chicken Schnitzel Ciabatta Roll ($13). The roll was slightly toasted and had a chicken breast schnitzel, tomato slices, mixed lettuce leaf with a light spread of home made mayonnaise and was served with a side of fries. Ok, so it wasn’t the healthiest option on the menu, but it seemed like a good choice at the time. I have to say that it was a little bland and I ended up having to add a lot of salt to the fries and the roll.

Orange Juice (left) & Pineapple Juice (right)

We also had a glass of juice each – orange for me, and pineapple for him. It was definitely worth the $5 we had to pay per glass!

Value for money: Not too pricey for lunch. We had a sneak peek at their dinner menu it was relatively reasonable as well.

Return potential: Would definitely go back for lazy weekend lunches and would love to try their dinner menu as well.

273 Burwood Highway

BURWOOD

VIC 3125

03 9889 8925

9:30am – 3:30pm Tuesday – Friday (Lunch)

8:30am – 3:30pm Saturday – Sunday (Lunch)

5:30pm – Late Wed – Sat (Dinner)

www.sketchescafebar.com.au