Category: Cities

This is a category for cities. All about food have reviewed restaurants in cities like Sydney, Singapore, Bali Island, Surabaya, and Bandung.

Shalom Indonesian Restaurant
I have been going to this Indonesian restaurant since they opened their doors in Kingsford! The name is Shalom Indonesian Restaurant. To be honest, it is quite an unusual name for an Indonesian restaurant.

The menu is pretty much everything you see on the wall above the counter and you have to order and pay the food at the counter. Despite the number of pictures, the menu can actually be divided into four sauces:
- Rujak sauce: This is the default non-spicy sauce
- Hot & sour sauce: Despite the three star logo, this sauce only has a fleeting hint of hotness. I said this as a person who doesn’t like spicy sauce!
- Balinese sauce: This one is probably best suited for people who enjoy occasional hot food.
- Shalom sauce: This one is for the hard core chilli lovers!
Btw, if you are unsure about any of it, just ask to separate the sauce from the dish.

These are the four dishes that we ordered almost 90% of the time.

Beef / Fish Ball Soup – Bakso Sapi / Ikan Kuah – $5

It is a very simple beef balls in a soup. We usually order this for the little one. Add some sweet soy sauce to the warm rice and you got yourself a decent dish to feed your kid!

Deep fried tofu with peanut sauce – Batagor – $5

Although the description said ‘batagor’ (the famous fish-based dish from Bandung), it is actually not that batagor. It is just deep fried tofu that was coated with flour. I’m pretty sure there is no fish involved in it (or probably very little, hardly-visible amount).

However, I still enjoy the dish and have always been my staple when coming into the restaurant. I love the peanut and sweet soy sauce!

Fried beef ball with Hot and Sour Sauce – Bakwan Penyet – $8

This is another extremely simplistic dish. You get sliced and fried beef balls and a boiled egg with the sauce and a plate of rice.

I particularly love to combine this dish with the tofu dish above. It reminds me a lot of food in my hometown.

Grilled beef ribs with Balinese sauce – Iga bakar bumbu Bali – $12

The grilled beef ribs is probably the most decent-sized option in the menu. There are not a lot of places in Sydney that served grilled beef ribs for only $12.

Happy Soda – Soda Gembira – $3

Happy soda is actually just a combination of soda water, condensed milk and rose syrup. But when I was younger, it is pretty much my top three drinks (along with Durian and Avocado juices).

Indonesians love sweet drinks and happy soda is no different. They usually put quite a lot of condensed milk and rose syrup. However, happy soda is served unstirred. So you can adjust the level of sweetness to your liking.

The final verdict for Shalom Indonesian Restaurant

Whenever I need an Indonesian comfort food, I usually go to Shalom Indonesian Restaurant. They may not have the best décor or the fanciest of dishes, but it is the one restaurant in Sydney that felt closest to home for me.

Did you know?

There is another Indonesian restaurant that everyone in Sydney seems to love going to, called Ayam Goreng 99. It is located three shops down the road from Shalom.

Rating for Shalom Indonesian Restaurant:

7.0 / 10

Taste: 7.0 / 10

Price: $9 – $15 for main dishes

Place: 7.0 / 10

Details:

Shop 2 / 458 Anzac Parade, Kingsford 2032

+61 2 9662 4455

http://www.shalom-restaurant.com/
Jun 23, 2015
Green Gourmet Kitchen

Review:

This week we are reviewing our first ever vegetarian restaurant in Sydney. In a couple of previous occasions we dined with a group of friends who opted for the restaurant’s vegetarian options. However this time, we went to a ‘true’ vegetarian restaurant.

Everyone in my ‘inner circle’ knows that I am not a big fan of vegetables with borderline hatred to some of them. But on the other hand, I am also an admirer of beautiful and delicious food regardless of ingredients.

On this occasion, we went to Green Gourmet Kitchen in Newtown. The restaurant has the Chinese restaurant’s style with the buffet bar on the side.

Green Gourmet Buffet Dinner – $2.60/100gr for dinner or $9.90 for up to 700 gr for lunch

Green gourmet offers a buffet selection for lunch and dinner. It is actually a better option if there are not a lot of people in your party, especially for lunch time. There are quite a few options to choose from on the buffet bar!

‘Honey’ & Lemon King Prawn – $17.80 – by substituting the original honey with maple syrup and lemon

Our first dish of the day is a ‘honey’ that was actually maple syrup and mock king prawn. The king prawn was quite tasty and the texture was pretty similar to the real king prawn.

Ling Zhi Mushroom in Clay Pot – $24.80 – Stewed in a clay pot with broccoli and fried tofu

The Ling Zhi mushroom dish was supposed to be the one that impressed us the most. However, the priciest dish for the day didn’t quite live up to our expectations.

It was quite ordinary even when compared to the fried rice.

Green Gourmet Fried Rice – $14.80 – with shredded green vegetable, vegan prawn, BBQ Not Pork, bean sprout & soy & wheat protein

They gave quite a generous portion for the fried rice. It is actually nice to eat your dishes as a share plate (i.e. put everything in one plate!).

The final verdict for Green Gourmet Kitchen

For just under $10, Green Gourmet Kitchen’s buffet bar is a pretty good lunch option in Newtown. The waitress was pretty friendly and it is pretty good for an everyday dining.

Rating for Green Gourmet Kitchen:

7.0 / 10

Taste: 7.0 / 10

Price: $15 – $25 for main dishes

Place: 6.5 / 10

Details:

115-117 King St, Newtown 2042

+61 2 9519 5330

http://www.greengourmet.com.au/

Jun 19, 2015
Wilbur’s Place

Review:

Welcome to our second brunch review in as many weeks as this month we caught up with quite a lot of friends! We went to Potts Point for a small café in an alley called Wilbur’s Place.

The menu is the usual modern rustic dishes with quite a long name. In Wilbur’s Place, the name isn’t quite as long!

Mushrooms, Poached Eggs & Crispy Pancetta – $18

I actually did not order (and try) the dish and it looked pretty monochromatic. However, I was told that the Pancetta was delightfully crispy.

Crispy Polenta, Soft Egg, Slippery Jack Mushrooms & sage butter – $18

This is the dish that you MUST choose if your next visit to the café is your first one. It was probably the yummy-est polenta I’ve ever tasted especially when combined with the mushroom and butter!

I love everything about this dish even when this was not actually the one I ordered! (Luckily my wife liked the dish that I will talk about next so we traded off).

Flatbread, Pickles, Runny Egg, Flaked Trout & Avocado – $19

This dish is perfect for those of you who like brunch that feels light and refreshing. I think this dish portrays what the word ‘rustic’ is all about. It was plain and simple but packed a lot of punch!

Brussel Sprouts, soft egg, Parmesan, Bacon & Anchovy – $15

This is the only dish of the day that actually have green vegetables on the plate. However, the bacon and anchovy were barely visible because it blended perfectly with the colour of the bread. I think it would be better to see bacon sticking out on the plate when it’s on the menu.

Sourdough toast w Vegemite, Butter & Jam – $6

This is just a plain and simple vegemite toast for your children. The bread might not be suitable for younger kids as toasted sourdough can be too tough for them.

Toasted brioche ice cream sandwich w salted caramel – $13

Salted Caramel Milkshake – $7

Looks like salted caramel is the craze these days. It feels like everywhere we go we see salted caramel milkshake or dessert. In Wilbur’s place, you get both milkshake and dessert!

The final verdict for Wilbur’s Place

Wilbur’s place is probably one of the better brunch cafes that we have ever tasted in Sydney.

Did you know?

The name ‘Wilbur’ was taken from the pig in Charlotte’s Web.

Wilbur’s place is owned by Bourke Street Bakery.

Rating for Wilbur’s Place:

8.0 / 10

Taste: 8.0 / 10

Price: $11 – $19 for big dishes

Place: 7.0 / 10

Details:

36 Llankelly Place, Potts Point 2011

+61 2 9332 2999

http://www.wilbursplace.com/

Jun 12, 2015
West Juliett

Review:

One weekend, my friends took me to a café that I was not quite aware of (it was out of my area). When we arrived at the café, I noticed that it was the café that was always busy when I went past it a few times. The name of the café is West Juliett.

The café described itself as making simple rustic food and coffee. At first I was quite afraid of the queue, but apparently it moved along quite quickly. Since there were three of us, we only ordered three items on the menu.

Breakfast plate of leg ham, ricotta, avocado, poached egg, tomato, toast – $16.90

You got each one of the items stated in the menu in a fashion that reminds me of children lining up their food on the plate. The description on the menu can also serves as a check box: poached egg…tick! Well, butter is not on the list but it was on the plate!

It is obviously rustic… but it is way too simple!

Soft scrambled eggs, cured salmon, sorrel, yoghurt, fennel on toast – $18.90

The soft scrambled eggs dish was more fitting to the rustic description in my imagination. It was simple, yet well presented!

On a side note: the yoghurt was pretty sour to eat on its own.

Poached eggs, avocado, feta, parsley, cress, lemon, dukkah on toast – $16.90

The dish was the best looking out of the three that we ordered on the day. It was full of green vegetables with the poached eggs and toast hiding underneath.

All elements in the dish also married up perfectly.

The final verdict for West Juliett

It felt like your typical weekend brunch at West Juliett. I love the fact that despite the queue we actually got the seat quite quickly. The dishes were pretty big. The taste was also there.

Did you know?

We also ordered the coffee but it was quite so-so. The milkshake was also quite ordinary especially when compared to similar restaurants around the area.

Rating for West Juliett:

7.5 / 10

Taste: 7.5 / 10

Price: $11 – $19 for big dishes

Place: 6.5 / 10

Details:

30 Llewellyn Street, Marrickville 2204

+61 2 9519 0101

https://www.facebook.com/westjuliettcafe

Jun 5, 2015
Pho by An Restaurant

Review:

A friend of mine took us here the first time to enjoy one of the best pho in Sydney, we referred to it as Pho An. An restaurant (this is the entry listed on Urbanspoon/Zomato) only sells pho, with variants of beef and chicken. Despite this limited menu, people are still willing to queue for it.

When I was there, I usually ordered Pho topped with beef combination. It is the most complete combination that includes rare beef, cooked beef, beef tendon and tripe. I also usually order the large portion. The large bowl option is only $1 more expensive than the medium.

The portion is quite big and I usually cannot finish the soup. Personally, I think the taste is not so different than any other good pho restaurants in Sydney.

Pho topped with cooked beef – $14

I guess the good thing about having limited items on the menu is that they can serve the dishes incredibly quickly. But then, you are also expected to leave relatively quickly!

They give you the beansprouts and loads of chilli for free. You could also add a few other side dishes. The one that I usually order is additional meat or rare beef on the side. You can also try its beef tea.

Additional Meat – $4

The final verdict for Pho by An Restaurant

The price of Pho in An Restaurant can be considered pretty high. However, people don’t seem to mind paying that much.

Did you know?

They have quite ‘funny’ charges such as $3.50 for spare bowl to share or $1 take away surcharge. I must say that the take away surcharge is quite funny as you generally pay less money for take away food.

Rating for Pho by An Restaurant:

7.0 / 10

Taste: 7.5 / 10

Price: $14 – $15 for pho

Place: 6.5 / 10

Details:

27 Greenfield Parade, Bankstown, NSW 2200

+61 2 9796 7826

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May 26, 2015
Pempek Clovelly

Review:

Generally speaking if you compare it with the price in Indonesia, Indonesian food in Sydney is very expensive! However, if you compare it to Sydney’s food prices, they are still pretty cheap. One restaurant that I frequented is Pempek Clovelly.

Pempek is a traditional fish cake originated from the city of Palembang in Indonesia. The unique aspect of pempek is that it comes with vinegar sauce. The sauce is a combination of palm sugar, garlic, vinegar, salt, and chili. The sauce is an integral part of the pempek dish. So, if you don’t get the sauce right, you will spoil the taste. For those of you who have never tasted pempek before, I must warn you that the dish is sweet and sour. The sweet and sour taste usually dominates the flavour.

These days, you can pretty much get pempek from any big cities in Indonesia. However, it is still considered a rarity in Australia. Pempek Clovelly is one of the few restaurants that sells pempek in Sydney (or Australia).

They have six different pempek: ball, stick, tofu, skin, fish cake with egg (nicknamed ‘the submarine’) and omelette. Personally, I like the submarine and omelette with an extra fish cake skin. Being in Sydney, Pempek Clovelly separated the chili from its vinegar sauce.

Pempek Omelette – $7.50

Pempek Skin – $2.50

In addition to pempek, they also sell quite a variety of dishes that are only priced up to $10. In this occasion we ordered their Chicken Noodles. It was quite a simple chicken noodles with meatballs, mushrooms and veggies.

The final verdict for Pempek Clovelly

Being a specialist in pempek, Pempek Clovelly definitely delivered one of the best pempek I have ever tasted. Pempek is a sweet and sour fish cake. So you might need to adjust your taste palate to enjoy it.

Rating for Pempek Clovelly:

7.0 / 10

Taste: 7.5 / 10

Price: $2.50 – $7.50 per piece

Place: 6.5 / 10

Details:

198 Anzac Parade, NSW 2033

+61 2 9697 0009

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May 20, 2015