Monday 18 June 2012

Lindt Chocolat Café, Cockle Bay Wharf

Was a chilly night and we were craving some sort of dessert/late night snack so ventured to Lindt Café for some hot chocolate.  They had a 2 for 1 special going that night: A buy-one-get-one Hazelnut hot chocolate, so why not!   Added a few Macarons (Pistachio, Vanilla) and a slice of the Opera cake.
Our drinks came out in 5 minutes, presented nicely with a mug, a hazelnut chocolate pot, and a mini-jug of milk.  We poured our chocolate into the mug, but unfortunately the milk was not hot enough to really melt the chocolate...so sad.  Ended up being a lukewarm drink which was quite disappointing.  The “half-price” factor didn’t even make up for it!  Macarons were tasty if not a little sweet (but that’s how macarons normally are) and the Opera cake was quite rich.
Hazelnut hot chocolate, Macarons, Opera Cake

My only other experience at Lindt was at the George St location in Sydney CBD.  I think they do better drinks there than what we experienced today at Cockle Bay Wharf…perhaps it was an off day?  You can decide J
Lindt Chocolat Café on Urbanspoon

Sunday 3 June 2012

Happy Chef Noodle, Haymarket

The Haymarket food court can take a bit of work to navigate.  Filled with masses of people and choice-upon-choice of takeaway options, its difficult to know what to order. 

Today we went to Happy Chef Seafood and Noodle restaurant.  It is located at the far end of the brightly-lit food court.  The pictures on the boards look so appetising, but makes you wonder if its a true reflection of the actual dish.  Still, its food court so what can you expect!

We choose the Wonton and Fish Cake Noodle soup.  The noodles were well cooked, not to soft/soggy and not too hard.  Approximately 6 wontons were included and they were decently sized with a pork and vegetable filling.  The fish cakes was less impressive and a little rubbery. 


Wonton and Fish Cake Noodle Soup (~11)

A decent meal in a food court environment.  Wouldn't come here specifically to eat, but pass-able if you are in the area and are starving.
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Happy Chef Seafood & Noodles Restaurant
401 Sussex Street, Shop F3 Sussex Centre
Sydney New South Wales 2000
(02) 9281 8337

http://www.yelp.com.au/biz/happy-chef-seafood-and-noodles-restaurant-sydney
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Saturday 2 June 2012

Nonya, Chinatown Sydney

As I continue my Malaysian-food cravings, I had high hopes for Nonya.  Located upstairs in the outdoor Dixon Street strip-mall, it looks quite fancy from the outside.

The first time I came here, I had the Char Kway Teow ($11).  Plenty of flat rice noodle surrounded by egg, prawn, Chinese sausage and bean sprouts, it had quite a spicy kick to it.  Pretty delicious and hit the spot.

Second time here, it was raining.  Note to self: Take care when walking ANYWHERE inside the restaurant since their floor tiling is super slippery.  Saw several people sliding around, almost on the verge of hitting the floor and a potential law suit :D

Dinner consisted of Roti Prata ($6), Malay Satay chicken skewers ($8), KangKong Belachan vegetable ($11), Gado Gado - veggies in peanut sauce ($11), Beef Rendang ($11), Hainanese Chicken Rice ($10), Char Kway Teow($11), Chow Fan Fried Rice ($11), Singapore Spicy Chilli Crab ($$$$$).  

Roti Prata was thick and not paper-thin like you get a Mamak.  The Malay Satay chicken was drenched in oil and fat...for a girl, it wasn't too appetising.  The KangKong Belachan was tasty and had a good amount of shrimp paste but also heavily saturated in oil.  Gado Gado was cooked Malay-style rather than Indonesian-style and bland even though it was topped with plenty of peanut sauce.  The beef rendang was decent but the meat was a little dry.  The Hainanese Chicken and Char Kway Teow was tastu and the overall two better dishes of the night.  The Chow Fan rice had ~5 large prawns but completely bland and the rice was hard!  As for the Singapore Chilli crab...it tasted ok but completely overpriced. 

Nonya has abandoned the notion of simple and tasty Malay hawker food.  It plays on its modern-decor, clean Asian restaurant-feel to attract its customers and charge high prices for underwhelming dishes.  Service was terrible.  Also for large groups with 8+ people, you'll likely be seated in the hallway of the adjacent Asian mall...aka - outside the main restaurant.  

Do not anticipate returning since Sydney has many more Malaysian restaurants serving exponentially better food, but just in a less-hip environment. 

Nonya on Urbanspoon

Sapore della Vigna, Leichhardt

First time to the Italian Forum, I was excited to try some true Italian cuisine.  It was a Friday night but surprisingly not too busy.  We immediately got seated and was presented with a huge menu....so many options!

As a fan of pappardelle pasta, I opted for the daily special of Braised Lamb Shank with Black Pepper Pappardelle (~$28).  Large amounts of ribbon pasta filled the plate, combined with a tomato-based sauce.  A large lamb shank sat on the top, setting the scene for a yummy and hearty meal.  As I dug into the dish, I noticed some of the pasta was still clamped in chunks.  It was quite unique though, having black pepper embedded into the pasta ribbons.  Although the lamb meat fell off the bone, it was a little dry, so not too enjoyable when eating in large amounts.  The tomato sauce did help to offset the dry-ness, making it more tasty.

Braised Lamb Shank with Black Pepper Pappardelle (~$28)

We also got the Spicy seafood Linguine.  It came out temperature hot and beautifully presented, however it lacked the spicy kick except for when you ate the actual chill pepper.  It was however filled with prawns, scallops, mussels, clams and tomato cubes.  The pasta was cooked too al dante for me, and unlikely to have been freshly made that day.

Spicy Seafood Linguini (~25)

Consider this to be mass-made Italian food, quality and taste was good but overpriced.  There is seating both inside and outside the restaurant and can cater to large groups and/or parties.  Took us at least a good 15 mins and 4 tries of the waiter to get our bill.  Very welcoming to get us in the door, but took forever for us to pay and leave.

Sapore on Urbanspoon