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Australia Food Guide, Greatly Terrific Food Outing

Greatly Terrific Food Outing: Mekong, Chippendale

June 2, 2017 Talyssa 2 Comments

THE VERDICT

Setting & Atmosphere
Food
Service
Value For Money

4.5

OVERALL SUMMARY

Innovative Flavours

If you haven’t been able to put your finger on what type of cuisine is served at Mekong, the answer might be hidden inside the restaurant’s name. Like the Mekong river, be prepared to be taken on a culinary adventure that drifts down from Burma cloud country, across the Lao border, strolling along the turquoise waters of Thailand’s beaches, gliding on a Cambodian pagoda and wading through the rice paddies of Vietnam. For a travellers adventure through the Indochine Provinces, the fusion flavours at Mekong will take you there in one mouthful.

Setting and Atmosphere

Located in Kensington Street, Sydney’s newest and most innovative lifestyle destination, by-pass the glowing lanterns of Spice Alley and ascend the stairs to find Mekong.

Away from the bustling noise of the Hawker style diners below, Mekong takes you inside a secluded bamboo thicket, adorned with lavish greenery and ceiling and lighting decorations that pay homage to the fishing baskets and nets used along the Mekong river.

Overall, Mekong provides a sophisticated, dimly lit, romantic getaway perfect for a first date or a low-key dinner with friends.

Food

The food at Mekong is sophisticated, nuanced and elegant. The Indochine flavours of Mekong’s cuisine are fused together so elegantly, that you often can’t quite put your finger on exactly what country a particular dish belongs to.

To start your evening, you can’t go past the Chef’s Platter for Two. This entree combines a number of stand alone entree options on one platter, which means you get to try a bit of everything and save some money too. While all dishes on this platter were delicious, the Rice Flour & Squid Ink Cups were a definite stand out that perfectly combined fresh, zesty, yet sweet flavours all in one mouthful. Delicious.

For main, we ordered the lavish Confit Duck Red Curry. The depth of flavours in this curry were outstanding, and the duck was juicy and succulent with a delightful crispy skin. Perfect!

Refreshing the palette, we tucked into two deserts, both equally as good as eachother – the Egg Floss and Taro Custard, and the Vanilla Mochi. I particularly enjoyed the flavours created when combining the rose icecream with the egg floss and taro custard and the Vanilla mochi was a delightfully refreshing way to end the evening.

Pineapple Caramelised Daikon – Roasted Peanut | $6

Chef’s Platter for 2 – School prawns, scallops, pork belly in betel leaf, ink cups | $35 (breakdown of dishes on this platter below)

Rice Flour & Squid Ink Cup – Chicken, blood orange, peanut | $15

Pork Belly – Betel leaf, house-made tamarind sauce | $14

Seared Scallop – Bacon oil, coconut, chilli, shallot | $16

Confit Duck Red Curry – Grilled pineapple, basil oil | $34

Vanilla Mochi – Coconut, pistachio, dark sugar granita | $12

Egg Floss & Taro Custard – Mung bean, rose ice-cream | $12

SERVICE

The service at Mekong is very attentive yet manage to find the perfect balance between quality service and giving privacy when needed, which suits the restaurant’s intimate setting perfectly.

VALUE FOR MONEY

The food and pricing at Mekong is definitely great value for money. The restaurant provides delicious food that is presented beautifully with unique and innovative flavours. The restaurant manages to create the feeling of a fancy and semi ‘fine dining’ experience without it having to cost an arm and a leg.

THE DETAILS

Where:

2/14 Kensington St, Sydney NSW 2008

Contact:

(02) 9282 9079

Opening Hours:

Mon, Tue, Wed: 6 – 11PM

Thurs, Fri, Sat: 12 – 3:30PM, 6 – 11PM

Sunday: 12 – 3:30PM

Find Them Here:

Website

Facebook

Instagram

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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

Greatly Terrific Food Outing: Uncle Tetsu’s Cheesecake

July 15, 2016 Talyssa Leave a comment

When it comes to cheesecake, everyone wants to know Uncle Tetsu’s secret. And while I can’t say I’ve found out the secret to that deliciously soft texture, I was able to make my way to today’s secret opening in Sydney!!

Courtesy of Ningjaeats, I was able to indulge in a full Uncle Tetsu experience, with an up close and personal tour of the cheesecake being made to meeting Uncle Tetsu himself!!

So I know you’re all wondering what about the taste? Well…It’s fantastic! It’s not the same as Australian cheesecake – so if you’re expecting that…stahp. Instead it’s super light, fluffy and mild in its flavour. It’s like a perfect little cloud in your mouth and because it’s not overly rich, it is incredibly moreish.

And yes, it does wiggle wiggle.

Australia Food Guide, Greatly Terrific Food Outing

Greatly Terrific Food Outing: Bangbang Cafe, Surry Hills

May 9, 2016 Talyssa Leave a comment

Bangbang cafe is a chillax man-cave of a cafe located in the heart of Surry Hills. The staff are super casual, yet charming and pride themselves on their hearty meals, especially their gigantic burgers. In saying this girls, don’t completely rule this one out because of the man-cave vibe. They have some really unique dishes on their breakfast menu, more than I have seen in a lot of cafes recently, and their burgers are delish. Overall I was terribly impressed!

Setting and Atmosphere

★★★★.5

This place is hell chill. I really loved the vibes in this cafe. Although small, inside was super spacious and airy and I love how much sunlight streams through this cafe. Decor is filled with strong and bulky timber furnishings, black tiled counter tops and industrial lights, yet everything is super stylish that I found it super nice to dine at! Ladies, like a man that catches your eye down the street because he’s dressed amazingly, that’s the vibe this man-cave cafe will attract in you too.

Food

★★★★

Bangbang Cafe — French Toast with Chorizo – French toasted brioche with grilled chorizo, caramelised red onion jam, poached egg and a side of avo smash | $16.90

Overall, I really enjoyed the food at Bangbang cafe. I’ll start with the Turf & Turf & Turf burger because it was freaking amazing. First of all people, homemade sauces. And boy these sauces were damn good. The BBQ one in particular MADE this burger.

Somehow I managed to make my mouth big enough and get a little bit of everything in there at once. YUM. It was everything a burger should be in one mouthful. And it was seriously, man-sized. We’re talking gigantic, I don’t know how anyone could finish this whole burger and still be hungry. With its 3 different types of meat and double cheese, this burger is a serious feed that even the likes of Epic Meal Time would be satisfied with.

We also ordered the French Toast with Chorizo. This dish could have been great but it was unfortunately a little dry. I learnt from My Kitchen Rules that chorizo gets this way when it’s pan fried (a contestant on the show made the same mistake). I was also hoping for a little more of that onion jam. Over all a good dish, but something was missing.

Service

★★★★★

The staff here are super friendly and always down for a good chat. The thing I love most is that conversation doesn’t feel forced, strained or unnatural. You can also genuinely feel that they care about the food they put in front of you and want you to have an all-round a fab time.

Pricing and Value for Money

★★★

Okay, not gonna lie, Bangbang Cafe is expensive. Most dishes will set you back around $17 which to me is pretty pricey for brunch. In terms of burgers though, they are massive and indulgent, so you do get what you’re paying for.

The Details

Where: 113 Reservoir St, Surry Hills NSW 2010

Contact: (02) 9281 0018

Opening Hours:

Mon–Thurs: 7:30AM – 3:30PM
Fri: 7:30am-3:30pm & 5pm – 9pm
Sat – Sun: 8am – 2pm

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Please note that this was an invited event courtesy of Ningjaeats

Australia Food Guide, Greatly Terrific Food Outing

Greatly Terrific Food Outing: Sonoma Bakery, Rose Bay

April 10, 2016 Talyssa 2 Comments

Enter through elegant glass doors and find yourself inside the local Rose Bay hot spot that is Sonoma Bakery. Here you’ll find feel-good food, great coffee and a sprinkle of happiness. Whether you’re looking to treat yourself for breakfast, a quick coffee or a loaf of your favourite sourdough, Sonoma has something that’ll tickle your tastebuds.

Setting and Atmosphere

★★★★.5

Sonoma Bakery is a bold, open-spaced setting filled with a lively crowd. It’s slightly noisy and busy, but I found that the size of the place absorbs most of the noise, so you don’t have to shout over you friends when speaking. All in all, you get to enjoy the perks of a energetic atmosphere without having to compromise on good conversation!

The dominating colours of black and white suit the interior perfectly, and with matching black tables and crockery, the vibrancy and colours of the food really stand out on the table.

Food

★★★★

Sonoma Bakery French Toast — Morning Bun French Toast with Greek Yoghurt, Lemon Curd and Berries | $12

Sonoma Bakery - Scrambled Chili Eggs and Feta Tartine — Scrambled Chili Eggs and Feta Tartine | $16 – Also added Pancetta which is an additional cost.

Sonoma Bakery - Baked Eggs — Baked Eggs with Merguez Lamb, tomoto, chilli and potato served with Greek Yoghurt, herb salad and sumac

Sonoma Bakery - Hot smoked salmon Tartine — Hot smoked salmon, Avo, Kale and Poached Eggs Tartine | $18

Sonoma Bakery Tartine — Hot smoked salmon, Avo, Kale and Poached Eggs Tartine | $18

Sonoma Bakery - Hot Chocolate — Belgian Hot Chocolate | $5

Built upon humble beginnings, Sonoma is founded on a simple desire to make great bread. It is bread that Sonoma prides itself on and as a result it’s the hero in many of the dishes on their menu. I would definitely describe the food here as rustic, yet modern and homely with generous portion sizes – you won’t go leaving hungry. Each plate served up boasts excellence, care and detail – a quality Sonoma prides itself on back all the way back to it’s roots.

Everything made at Sonoma is created with fresh, wholesome ingredients. Sonoma’s signature flavours came out in every dish with my personal favourite being the Scrambled Chilli Eggs and Feta Tartine. This was a bold dish and the flavours explode in your mouth. There was a hit of chilli, texture from the crispy pancetta, saltiness from the feta cheese, silkiness from the scrambled eggs, sweetness from the roasted tomatoes and freshness topped off with spring onions and parsley. It was a winner dish that was a hit amongst all us bloggers (ningjaeats, phillxiaaaaa and willxia1).

Next, for the more health conscious, try your hand at the Chilli Smoked Salmon Tartine. It’s fresh and light flavours are jam-packed with super foods like kale, salmon, avo, eggs and seeds. What I would have liked to see on this dish would be some kind of lemon vinaigrette drizzled over the dish. I feel it needed something to help marry all the flavours together and balance the dryness of the dish.

For the sweet-tooths and dessert breakfast enthusiasts you can’t go past the French toast. Not being a sweet-tooth, the flavours on this dish packed a serious punch! It’s not your typical French toast, and I’m assuming this is because of the type of bread used. I also couldn’t really taste if it had been dipped in egg. Because of this I found this dish a little too “bready,” but the flavours will definitely satisfy the sweet-tooths.

Finally, I found the hot chocolate delicious and rich without being overly sweet.

An important thing to note is that not all Sonoma franchises have the same dishes. We found that some dishes that took our fancy on Sonoma’s Instagram account, were only available in other stores.

Service

★★★★★

Okay so this was an invited event, and naturally during invited events bloggers really do get VIP attentive service. But the guy who served us went over and above any kind of service I’ve ever seen. He knew the deal with bloggers, he knew, for example, to bring our drinks at the same time as our food so that our coffees don’t get cold and stay looking their best for the photos. So many times we go to cafes and the drinks come out way before the food ever does, so you’re left with cold drinks and destroyed coffee art.

Not only this, he gave us insight into the dishes that taste really great but don’t get as much love as they really should. He was very attentive to us and to our neighbouring tables.

Pricing and Value for Money

★★★.5

The portion sizes are fantastic and flavours are delish – although some dishes can be a bit of a miss, so choose wisely. Sonoma is on the pricey side of things, so I wouldn’t say I could make dining a regular thing, but I’ll definitely be returning when I deserve a treat!

The Details

Where: Shop 1, 779 New South Head Road
Rose Bay NSW 2029

Contact: (02) 9371 0635

Opening Hours:

Mon–Wed: 7am–5pm
Thurs–Sat: 7am–9pm
Sun: 7am–5pm

Website | Facebook | Instagram

Please note that this was an invited event courtesy of Ningjaeats

Australia Food Guide, Greatly Terrific Food Outing

GTFO – Greatly Terrific Food Outing: Lot.1 Sydney

December 14, 2015 Talyssa Leave a comment

My, my my, you guys are in for a treat! Swanky and sophisticated Lot.1 has unveiled the first of a three level establishment – a lush cafe – with soon to come, 2 underground bars and a restaurant. Boasting to be Sydney’s newest addiction, nothing says sophistication, affluence and opulence like a 3 level development and a capacity of 400 people!

Setting and Atmosphere

★★★★

Stepping inside Lot. 1, you can’t help but feel a little bit special. Maybe it’s the heritage sandstone, or the way the the liquor bottles stand illuminated against the back wall of the bar. Maybe it’s the friendly waitstaff, the charismatic chefs, or maybe, just maybe it’s the suspended timber spiral feature with purple backlighting. Yep, it’s definitely the timber spiral feature with purple backlighting.

The best thing about Lot. 1 is the space. Tables are well spread out, helping the dining experience to feel all that more private. Naturally, a sophisticated cafe, attracts a sophisticated bunch of people, and in saying sophisticated I don’t mean snobbish (Ivy), I mean well mannered and pleasant – definitely the kind you don’t mind sharing your dining space with.

Food

★★★★

La Gallina, Lot. 1 — La Gallina – Organic chicken, beans, dried tomatoes, puffed rice, lemon olive oil | $15

Panza - Lot. 1 — Panza – Heirloom tomatoes, crunchy bread, cucumber, bocconcini, basil | $12

Cassarecce - Lot.1 — Cassarecce – spicy pork cheek (guanciale) sugo | $15

Polenta Chips Lot. 1 — Polenta Chips | $5

Oh my gosh, I tasted flavours here that I never imagined existed. Let’s start with the hero and my favourite dish of the day, La Gallina. This glorified chicken salad was amazing, it was clever, well textured and one of those dishes where you combine everything together and suddenly, you believe in magic again, because that’s what the flavours taste like. Perfection on your tastebuds. If the whole review was based on this dish alone, I would have rated it 5 stars!

Second on my list of amazingness were the polenta chips! Now these were special – crispy, yet feather light on the palette. I haven’t tried anything more “moreish” in fact, I’m craving right now. And was it just me, or did I taste a subtle hint of truffle oil?

The Cassarecce tasted great, my only disappointment with this dish was in reading “pork cheek” on the menu. I was expecting large, tender chunks of pork intermingled with my pasta, but unfortunately we received small chewy pieces of meat. Not a big deal though, just not what I expected.

The Panza was simple in its taste. Whilst a good accompaniment to the other flavoursome dishes we ordered, for me this dish was a little lacklustre.

As with all good restaurants, tread carefully below – these deserts are irresistible!

Service

Rating: ★★★★★

The staff here were super friendly and made the whole experience well worth it. The food was prompt and the waitstaff took their time to explain the dishes to us and even recommend their favourites. The highlight of my experience at Lot. 1 was talking to chef Grant Croft. Besides being super friendly, it was great to talk to him about his inspiration behind my favourite dish of the day “La Gallina” and the different techniques he tried in order to create a perfectly balanced dish.

Pricing and Value for Money

Rating: ★★★★

Considering the sophisticated and indulgent vibes of Lot. 1, pricing is surprisingly reasonable. Yes portion sizes are on the small side where mains are concerned, but these dishes are created to share, tapas style. With 3 dishes plus a side serving of polenta chips between us, myself and @ningjaeats were full, leaving with two take away boxes between us!

The Details

Where: 18 – 20 York Street, Sydney, NSW 2000

Contact: info@lot1sydney.com.au

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Run by two travel and lifestyle bloggers, The Hidden Thimble focus’ on creating truthful and in-depth travel guides, food & beauty reviews. Enjoy drool-worthy photography from around the world!