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Greatly Terrific Food Outing: Masala Theory, Surry Hills

April 28, 2017 Talyssa 12 Comments

THE VERDICT

Setting & Atmosphere
Food
Service
Value For Money

4.5

OVERALL SUMMARY

Most unique Indian

From India with love… When it comes to Indian food if you had to subscribe to one thought, opinion or theory, consider subscribing to Masala Theory. What is Masala Theory? Simply put, imagine tasting the exotic mix of an ancient past and the contemporary present all in one mouthful; with an oompf of flavour, a pizazz of spice and an enchanting sprinkle of tradition. Welcome to Masala Theory.

SETTING AND ATMOSPHERE

While nothing says ‘hip’ like a terrace house restaurant on Crown Street in Surry Hills, Masala Theory blew me away left, right and centre with its hipness and overall cool vibes.

Dining at Masala Theory is a sensory experience that starts upon entry, where an infusion of spiced aromas and incense fill the room and the vibrant colours set the mood for a fun, light hearted night as well as an equally colourful culinary experience. Up on the wall hangs a hot-pink neon bicycle and Indian pop art with the interior as a whole having an overall look and feel reminiscent of the brightly coloured tuk tuks that roam the streets of India. It’s casual and pretty rad and manages to squeeze all the colours of Bollywood into one restaurant.

FOOD

Welcome to neo-Indian cuisine. If you haven’t guessed from the décor, the food at Masala Theory is anything but typical. While maintaining the traditional integrity of Indian Cuisine, Masala Theory reinvents Indian food by shaking things up, pushing the boundaries and exploring progressive ideas and concepts. What you’re left with is a hip, creative and fresh new take on Indian food.

Oh- and if you’re a creature of comfort, don’t worry, all the signature stuff is still available on the menu.

My experience at Masala Theory was made even more unique when we were served a complete Gluten Free menu. I had bought a friend with me that cannot eat gluten, and I was surprised at the number of options available to us. Even with a gluten free menu, Masala Theory’s motto “taste above all” still rung true.

For entree we started with the Masala Dosa, the Kalonji Chicken Tikka and the Bollywood Bhutta. The Masala Dosa had great flavours and is gluten free so long as you don’t eat the chutney’s that come with it, instead, order a raita for an accompaniment. The Kalonji Chicken Tikka in particular was super succulent and juicy with a great kick of flavour.

For main, the Butter Chicken was delicious. The Eggplant Bharta was also tasty, but a little bland in comparison. We washed it all down with a Lavender Lassi – I was very happy to find this and many other unique lassi flavours on the menu – and a rose lemonade.

To finish off a wonderful night, we tucked into a traditional indian dessert with a modern twist – the deconstructed Motichoor Ladoo with saffron rabdi and dried fruits.

Kalonji Chicken Tikka – Nigella seeds, garlic and cheese marinated boneless chicken, roasted red pepper sauce, corn puree, laccha pyaaz | $16

Masala Dosa – Rice and lentil pancakes stuffed with spiced potatoes; served with lentil broth and coconut chutney | $16

Bollywood Bhutta – Corn on the cob, butter, chef’s special spice and lime | $6

Vegetarian Dhansak – Traditional Parsi dish of lentils and vegetables; served with traditional Parsi brown rice, it combines elements of Persian and Gujarati cuisine | $22

Lavender Lassi & Rose lemonade | $5 & $6 respectively

Deconstructed Motichoor Laddoo – with saffron rabdi and dried fruits | $13

SERVICE

Prompt, quick, polite and most importantly, very educational. You can tell that all staff are very passionate about their food and they take the time to really explain every dish to you in detail – wonderfully delightful for a foodie like me!

Value for money

A little pricier that some Indian places but still very reasonable especially considering the location and quality of food.

The Details

Where:

545 Crown Street Surry Hills, New South Wales, Australia

Contact:

(02) 9699 9444

Opening Hours:

Tues, Wed, Thurs, Sun: 12pm – 3pm and 6pm-10pm

Sat & Sun: 12pm – 3pm and 6pm – 10:30pm

Find Them Here:

Website

Facebook

Instagram

Please note that this was an invited food tasting

Australia Food Guide, Greatly Terrific Food Outing, Sponsored

Greatly Terrific Food Outing: Golden Sands, Hurstville

March 8, 2017 Talyssa Leave a comment

THE VERDICT

Setting & Atmosphere
Food
Service
Value For Money

4.1

OVERALL SUMMARY

Tastiest Yum Cha!

Located in the heart of Sydney’s south, Golden Sands offers a tantalising mix of Eastern and Western cuisine. With a traditional, yet modern and sophisticated interior, dine in style for lunch time Yum Cha, or enjoy the full menu available for dinner. Oh, and did I mention exclusive karaoke rooms available for events? That’s right: Exclusive. Karaoke Rooms. Sold? Yes? Good.

SETTING AND ATMOSPHERE

Maybe I haven’t been to enough Yum Cha restaurants, but the setting and atmosphere at Golden Sands is extremely classy, a step above any other Yum Cha restaurant I’ve been to. The bar alone is chic and sophisticated and the tables have the most comfortable, luxurious chairs I’ve ever had the pleasure of sitting in. Seriously, it’s like you’re sitting on a throne.

The brassy tones with green highlights play on the mix of traditional and modern, creating an interesting atmosphere for a Chinese restaurant. While most Chinese restaurants play upon themes of China’s ancient past (red, black, dragon murals etc), the vibe here plays with an ‘oriental set in the 1920s – 1950s’ kind of vibe, where that little bit of Western influence is mixed into things. This perfectly suits Golden Sands’ positioning as a restaurant with a tantalising mix of the East and West and it’s great to see this theme also being lived out through the decor.

FOOD

Now, one thing that’s certain is that I’ve always enjoyed my Yum Cha, and I have to say that I was really impressed with the flavours here. In saying this, the best thing about the Yum Cha at Golden Sands was that it has all your typical favourites – siu mai, har gao, etc – PLUS new dishes I hadn’t seen, heard or tried before. Talk about exciting!

Starting with my favourite, the prawn and garlic chive dumplings were delicious. These are always my go-to dumplings, but the amount of flavour Golden Sands managed to pack into the filling was amazing. Yum!

Next, go for the Deep Fried Seafood Pie – a definite must try unique to Golden Sands. Underneath a thin layer of pastry covered in crispy, golden bread crumbs, was a delicious filling of fish, prawn and scallop mixed in a sweet sauce.

Craving something a little bit sweet after your meal? Don’t worry, we were too. If desert is something you don’t want to mess around with, the mango pancake is a good staple you can rely on.

If you’re a little bit adventurous with your desert, you’ll want to try Golden Sands’ Baked Durian Pie – a crispy, deep fried vermicelli exterior filled with a soft puréed durian. This dish was particularly satisfying on the palate.

Steamed Prawns & Garlic Chives Dumplings | $8.80

Pork Dim Sim with Prawn (Siu Mai) | $8.80

Stir Fried Rice Vermicelli with Shredded Duck Meat and Chinese Pickles | $18.80

Steamed Chicken Feet In Black Bean Sauce | $8.80

Steamed Beef Tripe With Satay Sauce | $9.80

SERVICE

The service at Golden Sands was fantastic. Simon, the manager was extremely welcoming to every guest and made sure our every need was attended to, which was much appreciated. Staff can speak English and are able to describe each dish – which I always find a relief at a Chinese restaurant as my Chinese ability is zero!

PRICING AND VALUE FOR MONEY

The value for money is very reasonable. Looking at the menu, the only item I found a little expensive were the noodles, but when we received the dish, the portion size was literally gigantic that it was well worth the price.

The Details

Where: Shop 12, Level 2, 127-141 Forest Road, Hurstville

Contact: (02) 9580 3188

Opening Hours:
Lunch: 10am – 3pm, 7 days
Dinner: 5.30pm – late, 7 days

Find Them Here:

Website

Facebook

Instagram

Please note: This was an invited event.

Australia Food Guide, Greatly Terrific Food Outing, Sponsored

Greatly Terrific Food Outing: Social Brew, Pyrmont

December 19, 2016 Talyssa 2 Comments

THE VERDICT

Setting & Artmosphere
Food
Service
Value For Money

3.9

OVERALL SUMMARY

Stylishly Hipster

For an oasis of good food, coffee and vibes you’ve come to the right place. Located in Pyrmont, Social Brew cafe brings a stylish cafe spot accompanied by great service.

Setting and Atmosphere

Social Brew’s dark interior really stands out amongst the burst of greenery from the trees that frame the verandah to the bright red chairs that line the street front. With an open air feel, you’ll be able to enjoy the summer breeze through the large windows at the front of the cafe, or if you prefer, pull up a picnic rug – provided by the cafe of course – and enjoy brunch outside on the grass.

If sitting inside is your vibe, industrial decor awaits with low hanging vintage light bulbs, posies of wild flowers and even a vintage bicycle.

Food

Breakfast goers and brunch fanatics, you should definitely include Social Brew on your list, the dining experience was really pleasant.

Overall the food at Social Brew was tasty and well presented.

The Brew Brekkie Deluxe Board was a great choice for brunch and we happily smashed into smooth avocado, creamy buratta cheese, tomatoes, prosciutto and mushrooms a la grecque in Social Brew’s delectable Brew Brekkie Deluxe Board, served with a soft boiled zatar egg to add some well deserved spice. A great dish for sharing; pick, choose, mix and match flavours as you like.

The only miss on this dish for me was the mushrooms a la grecque which tasted a bit too much like it was just mixed with pasta sauce – mushrooms are so aromatic and flavoursome when cooked and it would have been a great opportunity to really get some some special flavours in those mushrooms, particularly with that gorgeous Buratta cheese served on top!

Next on the menu was the Apple Cider Eggs Benedict, which I was really excited to try. Overall, a good Eggs Benedict, but I was really looking forward to tasting the apple cider flavours.

To lighten the palette the muesli of burnt fig works a treat. The poached pear, nectarines and peaches were delicious. Thirsty? Wash it all down with some freshly squeezed juices!

The Brew Brekkie Deluxe Board: Buratta Cheese, smooth avocado, organic truss baby tomatoes, prosciutto, mushrooms a la grecque and soft boiled zatar egg served with olive and rosemary sourdough | $20

Apple cider Egg Benedict with wilted spinach and choice of crispy bacon or black forest ham on brioche | $16

Muesli of burnt fig, cinnamon & almond, natural yoghurt, and seasonal fruit | $11

Service

Very friendly and helpful staff, food was a little slow (only a tiny bit!) but it was a very busy morning so it’s to be expected – we’re not all superheroes!

Pricing and Value for Money

Overall, I think the value for money is quite good. I was happy with the price with 2 out of 3 of my meals. I found the breakfast board a little pricey for $20.

The Details

Where: 224 Harris St, Pyrmont NSW 2009

Contact: (02) 9571 8792

Opening Hours:

Mon – Sun: 7am – 4pm

Please note that this was an invited event I attended on behalf of ningjaeats.

Events, Sponsored

Loud Shirt Day and Cakes by Cliff

December 3, 2016 Talyssa 4 Comments

What’s better than cakes and colour to kick off your Saturday morning? Cakes by Cliff and wearing colour to support a good cause! In October, I had the pleasure of attending Loud Shirt Day in support of deaf and hearing impaired children across Australia.

Held in the iconic Sydney Tower, the morning kicked off with drinks, delicious treats and was topped off with a one of a kind cake demonstration from cake master Clifford Luu.

Just one look at Clifford’s Instagram page, and it’s easy to see that his creations ooze talent. Filled with geometric shapes, patterns and an elegant flair, Cakes by Cliff offers a sensory experience for your eyes and your mouth!

Being diagnosed with a hearing impairment at birth, Loud Shirt Day is especially close to Cliff’s heart and because of this we were able to witness a VIP step-by-step demonstration on how he makes his awesome cakes.

Lucky for you, I’m here to share with you some of those secrets!

1. Cliff’s secret icing is….DUN DUN DUUUUUN~ buttercream. Yep it’s just buttercream.

2. After cutting the cake bases into 3 even sized layers using a cake slicer, Cliff stacked the layers on top of one another, separating them with a layer of buttercream between each (you will want to make sure your cake is stacked on a turntable). After, generously spread a layer of buttercream roughly around the cake.

3. Using a cake smoother at a 90 degree angle, gently turn the turntable and scrape off the excess buttercream icing. This will ensure all gaps are filled and that the icing is spread across the surface evenly

4. Cover up any areas where cake is still visible by piping another layer of buttercream and smoothing down with the cake smoother.

5. To get the watercolour look, Cliff pre-prepared 3 different servings of buttercream icing – blue, pink and yellow. He then dashed splotches of each colour around the cake and used the cake smoother to slowly smoothed out the splotches, blending the colours all together.

6. When the cake’s icing is completely smooth, heat up some chocolate and pipe along the edge of the cake so that it drips off the edge. TIP: pool the chocolate a little bit away from the direct edge of the cake, so you get a nicer dripping effect.

7. To recreate the abstract decorations that often adorn Cliff’s cakes, add food colouring to gelatine plastic and let it harden for a couple of minutes. While the gelatine is still malleable, sculpt it into abstract shapes to use to decorate your cake. Don’t forget to also add some fresh fruit and edible flowers as decoration!

The final product? Well, I’m so glad you asked!

Seeing Cliff demonstrate his talent showed just how important role models like Cliff and organisations like The Shepherd Centre are in shaping the perception hearing impaired children have of themselves and their opportunities. Cliff’s creativity and achievements is testament to these children that hearing loss is no barrier to success.

Please note that this was an invited event I attended on behalf of ningjaeats.

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