Author: Ardi

Ribs and Burgers Zetland

Ribs and Burgers Zetland Review:

Our review this week is from a restaurant that has grown so much in the last couple of years that they now have 10 restaurants in New South Wales. We visited Ribs and Burgers in Zetland quite often for lunch. It is located outside the new-ish East Village Shopping complex in Zetland.

Crispy Onion Rings – $6

What’s better than a good onion rings? A bucket of ‘em! You kinda need to share it with a friend because it’s quite a big portion for a lunch’s side dish.

Old School Cheese – $11 – Beef patty, American cheese, onion, mustard and pickles with BBQ sauce & aioli

If you want a no-drama, classic beef burger, this is the one for you.

The Apple Lamb Burger – $16 – Lamb patty, green apple, rocket, onion, blue cheese mayonnaise and aioli

Apple is usually reserved as a companion for roast pork. Naturally, I was quite curious about its suitability with a lamb meat. It was quite refreshing to taste a lamb burger without its ‘usual’ companion: mint.

The Short Rib Burger – $16

When I ordered the first time, little did I know that the short rib burger was a limited-time availability. When I got back there the other day, the burger has been replaced by something else on the menu.

All I can say is, keep an eye on this one when you see it on the menu… and order it! It’s so good!

Thickshake – $8 – Milo or Vanilla Malt

It’s a slight overkill to order thickshake with a burger for your lunch. But I just had to do it!

The final verdict for Ribs and Burgers Zetland

Ribs and Burgers in Zetland has quite a decent lineup for lunch. The price point is still okay when compared to restaurants in the vicinity.

Did you know?

This is actually my second review for Ribs and Burgers. My first one was for Ribs and Burgers at the Star back in 2013. At that time, I was focusing more on the ribs side of it.

Rating for Ribs and Burgers Zetland:

7.5 / 10

Taste: 7.5 / 10

Price: $11 – $16 per burger

Place: 7.5 / 10

Details:

Tenancy 1 APEX Building

6 Defries Avenue, Zetland 2017

+61 2 9697 0888

http://ribsandburgers.com/au/

Jul 29, 2016
Super Simple American Smoky Beef Brisket with BBQ Sauce

Recently, there is a surge of burger joints in Sydney that serve American-style burger that looks pretty messy and possibly disregard any health concern. I tried a couple of them, especially the smoky beef brisket, and was instantly loving it. Coupled that with a tv show called “Man Fire Food” and here I am searching a way to make smoky beef brisket!

I read a recipe from Taste.com.au on how to make smoky beef brisket and tweaked it a bit. This way, I don’t need to purchase additional ingredients that I might not need in the near future.

What do we need to make Smoky Beef Brisket?

This is the original recipe:
1. 1/2 cup smoky bbq sauce
2. 1/4 cup bourbon
3. 3 garlic cloves, crushed
4. 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
5. 1/4 – 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
6. 1.3kg beef brisket

I substituted the sauce and bourbon to 3/4 cup of McCormick Grill Mates Brown Sugar Bourbon BBQ sauce (because this is the one I currently have at home). I also use Mexican chili instead of cayenne pepper.

The preparation for making Smoky Beef Brisket

Combine all of the ingredients above in a baking dish (quite a big one). Make sure you coat every part of the beef brisket (turn several times if needed). Once the beef brisket is fully immersed in the marinade, cover the dish with cling wrap. Leave it in the fridge overnight (or a minimum of four hours in the fridge).

You might also want to buy burger buns and coleslaw for the salad.

How do we make the Smoky Beef Brisket using conventional oven?

1. Preheat oven to 160 °C or 140 °C fan-forced.
2. Cover the baking dish with aluminium foil.
3. Bake for 2.5 hours.
4. Turn the beef upside down. Be careful when taking the dish out as it is very hot.
5. Bake for another 2 hours or until you can easily scoop the beef with fork.

Half way

A little tips to make your perfect Smoky Beef Brisket

1. For the cup measurement, I use the standard kitchen cup (possibly something around 237 ml).
2. Be generous with the marinade sauce. Be VERY generous!
3. Add extra chili for extra kick!

Jul 12, 2016
The World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2016

The World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2016

For the first time in what feels like an eternity, Noma from Denmark is not featured in the top three. In fact they dropped down to number 5. The top restaurant for this year was last year’s runner up, Osteria Francescana from Modena, Italy. Last year’s winner, El Celler de Can Roca from Girona Spain, is now the runner up. Second runner up belongs to Eleven Madison Park in New York, USA.

Australian Restaurants in the 50 best restaurants 2016

It is becoming an annual event that Attica from Melbourne is the only restaurant from Australia included in the 50 best restaurants list. Their ranking is pretty steady at 33.

There are only two other Australian restaurants in the top 100 list:

– Brae at 65. Brae is a countryside restaurant in Birregurra, Victoria. According to the 2006 census, Birregurra was only inhabited by 688 people!

– Quay at 98. Quay is still the only restaurant in the list that we have visited and they have been sliding down consistently.

The list for the top four restaurants in Australia is very similar to the one voted by Australian chefs in Financial Review.

Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants 2016

Asia’s top restaurant according to the list is Narisawa in Tokyo, Japan. However, according to a separate list from the same publisher, called Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants 2016, Gaggan from Bangkok is #1. Gaggan was third best in the main list after Narisawa and Amber in Hong Kong.

Indonesia’s best restaurant in 2016

Indonesia was represented by one restaurant at number 49 for Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants 2016. The restaurant is called Locavore in Ubud, Bali.

The full list of 50 Best Restaurants 2016:

1. Osteria Francescana, Modena (Italy) – also best restaurant in Europe
2. El Celler de Can Roca, Girona (Spain)
3. Eleven Madison Park, New York (USA) – Best restaurant in North America
4. Central, Lima (Peru) – Best restaurant in South America
5. Noma, Copenhagen (Denmark)
6. Mirazur, Menton (France)
7. Mugaritz, San Sebastian (Spain)
8. Narisawa, Tokyo (Japan) – Best restaurant in Asia
9. Steirereck, Vienna (Austria)
10. Asador Etxebarri, Atxondo (Spain)
11. D.O.M. , Sao Paulo (Brazil)
12. Quintonil, Mexico City (Mexico)
13. Maido, Lima (Peru)
14. The Ledbury, London (UK)
15. Alinea, Chicago (USA)
16. Azurmendi, Larrabetzu (Spain)
17. Piazza Duomo, Alba (Italy)
18. White Rabbit, Moscow (Russia)
19. Arpège, Paris (France)
20. Amber, Hong Kong (Hong Kong)
21. Arzak, San Sebastian (Spain)
22. The Test Kitchen, Cape Town (South Africa) – Best restaurant in Africa
23. Gaggan, Bangkok (Thailand)
24. Le Bernardin, New York (USA)
25. Pujol, Mexico City (Mexico)
26. The Clove Club, London (UK)
27. Saison, San Francisco (USA)
28. Geranium, Copenhagen (Denmark)
29. Tickets, Barcelona (Spain)
30. Astrid Y Gastón, Lima (Peru)
31. Nihonryori RyuGin, Tokyo (Japan)
32. Restaurant André, Singapore (Singapore)
33. Attica, Melbourne (Australia) – Best Restaurant in Australia
34. Restaurant Tim Raue, Berlin (Germany)
35. Vendôme, Bergisch Gladbach (Germany)
36. Boragò, Santiago (Chile)
37. Nahm, Bangkok (Thailand)
38. De Librije, Zwolle (Netherlands)
39. Le Calandre, Rubano (Italy)
40. Relae, Copenhagen (Denmark)
41. Fäviken, Järpen (Sweden)
42. Ultraviolet by Paul Pairet, Shanghai (China)
43. Biko, Mexico City (Mexico)
44. Estela, New York (USA)
45. Dinner by Heston Blumenthal, London (UK)
46. Combal.Zero, Rivoli (Italy)
47. Schloss Schauenstein, Fürstenau (Switzerland)
48. Blue Hill at Stone Barns, Tarrytown (USA)
49. Quique Dacosta, Denia (Spain)
50. Septime, Paris (France)

Jul 7, 2016
Wagyu House Korean BBQ

Review:

Everyone in my inner circle would know that my top two all you can eat restaurants in Sydney are Suminoya and Churrasco. This week’s restaurant we reviewed has proven itself to be a genuine contender for that spot! Wagyu House is an all-you-can-eat Korean BBQ restaurant in Croydon. It is always busy on weekends and parking is very limited on the venue. So, I suggest you start early!

Wagyu House charges $29.90 per person and $12 for kids aged 5+… such a great deal for an all you can eat place! Bear in mind that the usual restrictions of an all-you-can-eat place applies here: 2-hour limit and finish what you take or you will be charged for excess.

They have quite a system when you go to the restaurant. You will need to get a table first, then go to the other building in the venue to pay for it. You need to get the meat from that other building and you can get the ice cream from there too. There are two big chillers full of meat. The left one is predominantly beef and pork while the right one is an assortment of chicken wings, pork, beef and calamari.

Back to the main dining hall, they have the kimchi station where you can get… well… kimchi and more than a dozen of Korean side dishes. You can also get Korean Pancake and Korean glass noodles at no extra charge!

One thing that I love about Wagyu House is that they still use charcoal (instead of gas) as a method of cooking! They have quite a decent exhaust system that doesn’t make our shirt to have that smoky smell… or probably we were there early enough and not that many people around us.

Obviously, when you see the price tag, you will immediately raise this question: How about their quality? Is it a compromise?

They don’t use the ‘fancy’ seafood and chicken pieces, in fact they only have calamari and chicken wings. They might also have a limited cut of beef. However, they covered that limitation by having different marinaded cuts.

The final verdict for Wagyu House

All you can eat for $30 with decent quality meat? It’s not a surprise they have customers willingly queue there!

Did you know?

I have to write this separately. They have an assortment of beef cuts in the chiller that is part of the $30 but individually packaged at about 400gr each. Apparently, this is the more ‘premium’ selection but have to be consumed as a package. I suggest you choose this over the regular cuts, just be mindful of your own eating capacity.

Rating for Wagyu House:

7.5 / 10

Taste: 8.0 / 10

Price: $29.90 per person

Place: 7.0 / 10

Details:

668-670 Parramatta Road, Croydon 2132

+61 2 9797 9999

Wagyu House Korean BBQ on Zomato

Jul 1, 2016
Tella Balls Dessert Bar

Review:

One of the few dessert places that I actually reviewed in my food blog. Tella Balls Dessert Bar was opened at the beginning of this year and so far I have never seen a shortage of customers on weekends. It is only one of a few dessert-only places in Inner West and… to make it rarer… they also open until quite late at night!

The original Tella Balls Shake (TBS) – $10 – topped with Nutella Tella Ball

This is the one that’s originally got everyone talking. When you think about it, it’s just a simple Nutella-filled donut sitting on top of a glass of Nutella milkshake. However, our naughty inner self seemingly could not resist the temptation of that ridiculously exciting guilty pleasure!

On a separate occasion, I also tried the salty caramel one with the different being the Salty Caramel filling instead of Nutella.

Tella Balls – $9 – Brioche Style Donut Balls injected with your favourite flavours (served with vanilla bean gelato)

If you want just a simple tella ball… well you can’t, unless if you order it for takeaway… the simplest you can get is tella balls with a scoop of vanilla gelato for $9. I guess it’s a good way to upsell and capitalise on the on-demand seats at the dessert bar.

Gelat-dough – $7 – doughy gelato that looks like a donut but tastes like the finest gelato.

One of the more eye-catching things at Tella Balls dessert bar are their gelat-doughs. It’s like multi-coloured donuts on a stick in a frozen chamber.

Ferrero Bowl – $13 – A smooth Ferrero Rocher mousse in a choc bowl (served with a vanilla bean gelato)

The same with the tella balls, if you want to enjoy their variety of desserts like the Ferrero Bowl, you will need to pay extra for the scoop of ice cream.

Tella Ball Pancake – $20 – 2 stack buttermilk pancakes with Canadian maple syrup, Cadbury Flake, Belgian chocolate chips, vanilla bean gelato & topped with a Nutella flavoured Tella Ball

If you thought the Tella Balls Shake was already ridiculous, wait until you see the Tella Ball Pancake. It looked like your weekly intake of sugar jammed into one plate. It’s a dream come true for Nutella lovers and definitely not for the health-conscious people.

The final verdict for Tella Balls

If you live around the area, it’s worth to buy the Tella Balls for takeaway. If you live outside the area, it depends largely on how much you love Nutella as Tella Balls are heavily featured in the menu.

Did you know?

Their takeaway menu is a lot cheaper than the dine-in one… and you can buy the Tella Ball for onl $4.50.

Rating for Tella Balls Dessert Bar:

7.5 / 10

Taste: 7.5 / 10

Price: $9 – $20 per dish

Place: 7.5 / 10

Details:

Shop 5, 370 New Canterbury Road, Dulwich Hill

+61 2 8384 4500

Tella Balls Dessert Bar on Facebook

Jun 21, 2016
Tim Ho Wan – Burwood

Review:

Tim Ho Wan was arguably the biggest name to appear in Sydney’s culinary world in 2015. Tim Ho Wan restaurants in Hong Kong are considered to be the world’s cheapest Michelin-star restaurant. When they announced that they would open a restaurant in Chatswood, the earth shook… well maybe not to that extreme, but the anticipation was suffocating. For the first few weeks, queue could be seen outside its store and people waited up to four hours (or more) for it!

Fast forward to mid-2016, we went to one of their branches in Burwood and there was no queue. Mainly, it was because a lot of people over-expected the restaurant to have the same quality as the ones in Hong Kong. Nevertheless, Tim Ho Wan Burwood was still decently filled.

We have never been to Tim Ho Wan in Hong Kong and our comparison was based on Yumcha restaurants in Sydney. Instead of having trolleys pushed around the restaurant, you need to order the food in Tim Ho Wan.

Braised Chicken Feet with Abalone Sauce – $6.80

I love a good chicken feet dish! It was quite a decent portion and pretty well presented at Tim Ho Wan. However, there was an apparent deficiency in the taste department.

Prawn Dumpling – $8.30

Wasabi Salad Prawn Dumpling – $7.80

There were only four options for dumplings at Tim Ho Wan and they were all seafood. We tried steamed prawn dumpling and deep fried wasabi salad prawn dumpling. They were quite on par with dumplings in other Yumcha place.

The next three plates are part of dishes that were called Big Four Heavenly Kings in Tim Ho Wan

Vermicelli Roll with Liver – $7.50

Vermicelli perhaps isn’t the best word to describe the dish. I have never seen a rice noodle roll dish with liver.

Baked Bun with BBQ Pork – $7.80

This is the dish that got everyone talking about and at the same time criticised Tim Ho Wan: Baked Bun with BBQ pork. The bun looks like an under-baked PappaRoti bread. It had quite the right fluff and, according to my friend, it was pretty nice and sweet.

Pan-Fried Radish Cake – $6.00

The radish cake has pork meat inside. Excluding the desserts, the whole dish in Tim Ho Wan is meat-based. So, if you are a vegetarian, you might want to stay away.

Vermicelli Roll with Beef – $7.50

It was similar to the other vermicelli roll, but this time it was filled with beef instead of liver.

The final verdict for Tim Ho Wan

I think Tim Ho Wan has been heavily criticised for being sub-par to its main branch in Hong Kong. After the hype has died down and the chefs can concentrate on producing the food instead of being a fast-churning production line, we could see that it was a decent restaurant.

Did you know?

If you have never been to a Yumcha but you are not a pork or seafood eater, you might want to reconsider your visit. There are only a handful of dishes that you can choose from in Tim Ho Wan that are neither pork nor seafood.

Rating for Tim Ho Wan:

7.0 / 10

Taste: 7.0 / 10

Price: $5.80 – $9.90 per dish

Place: 7.5 / 10

Details:

Shop 173 – 175 Westfield Burwood

100 Burwood Road, Burwood 2134

+61 2 8719 9888

http://www.timhowan.com.au/

Jun 1, 2016