We went to The Hub House Diner because of the ads that they put up in their facebook page. It was for their weekly promotional “Bang for Your Buck Tuesday burgers”. Every burger on their menu is $10 and there is a special weekly burger. They have a special burger every Tuesday after 5pm.
That week, the special was Buttermilk Spicy Fried Chicken Burger.
Buttermilk Spicy Fried Chicken Burger – 10 – with gherkin, butter lettuce and spicy chipotle aioli
This was the special for the week that we visited The Hub House Diner. The interesting bit about this burger was that the aioli was properly spicy.
Normally, this burger would cost you $16… and I think it was a bit over my comfortable limit for a burger. However, for $10, it was a good burger to have!
Pimp My Fries with Truffle, Manchego Cheese – 11
I ordered this out of curiosity. It turned out to be the one I liked the most that night. There was a generous serving of Manchego Cheese and truffle.
Kiddie Popcorn Chicken – 11 – Panko Coated Balls of Chicken Breast, with fries, ketchup
It feels quite weird when the kid’s menu item is more expensive than yours. However, knowing that the little one really loved this dish really paid it off!
I have known The Little Snail for quite some time, but I’ve only managed to visit it the other day. The Little Snail restaurant is located in the iconic Darling Harbour, Sydney.
I was actually quite surprised when learning that for 3-course lunch menu, they ‘only’ charge $38. I think it’s quite a decent price given the location of the restaurant. They also have a 2-course kids menu for $18 that comes with a choice of soft drink or juice.
Escargots de Bourgogne – dozens snails marinated in herb-infused court bouillon, oven baked in garlic butter
For my first course, I chose Escargots (aka snails), my go-to dish when I visit a French restaurant. The 12 rather large escargots were not deshelled. It was quite a spectacle!
Pate Maison – Armagnac flavoured duck liver pate with marinated champignons, date chutney and port vinaigrette
The other ‘must have’ dish from a French restaurant was ordered as my wife’s first course. It was quite a generous serving of duck liver pate with curious spots of mushrooms around the plate. The date chutney complemented the pate beautifully.
We had to order extra slices of baguette because we wanted to eat the pate to the last piece! It was very nice!
Crispy Fried Calamari and Chips
This was the first dish for the little kid. The calamari was crunchy on the outside and not chewy! It was pretty good!
Kangaroo Fillet – (recommended rare) on garlic pommes puree with a seasonal greens
Cooking a kangaroo is notoriously hard. You overcook it and it would render the meat inedible. Since the recommendation was rare, that was what I ordered.
The kangaroo was already pre-sliced to a bite size (mind you my bite size might be different than yours). It was perfectly cooked with a nice accompanying sweet sauce!
Citrus marinated Tasmanian Salmon – served on sweet peas risotto and sauce vierge
Another well-balanced dish with perfectly cooked salmon. I had to ask google about sauce vierge, literally translated as ‘the virgin sauce’. It was made from olive oil, lemon juice, chopped tomato and chopped basil.
Vanilla Ice Cream with Strawberry topping
The kid’s menu ice cream (that was actually the same size as the grownups!) was very pleasant to look at – or in my son’s case to dip his hand into. They use sable Breton (aka shortcrust bread) to give that extra kick to the ice cream.
Classic Crème Caramel
It is a very simple and classic crème caramel… as expected.
Chef churned hazelnut and praline ice cream on sable breton and Grand Marnier caramel
It was actually quite similar to the kid’s ice cream in terms of quality. However the adult-version came with liquor content and the sugar ornament at the top.
The final verdict for The Little Snail
Darling Harbour is probably the next best thing in Sydney after Sydney Opera House and Harbour Bridge. Having a three-course lunch for $38 at The Little Snail in Darling Harbour is such a steal!
Did you know?
You can get a 25% discount when dining at The Little Snail restaurant if you have the Entertainment Book. Entertainment Book is a book used in fundraising campaigns for fundraising companies like Cancer Council and RSPCA. It contains a lot of discounts for a lot of restaurants!
Upon researching about The Little Snail, I came across an expired Groupon link. It would’ve been nice to get an even bigger discount for the restaurant!
This is probably one of my most memorable reviews of the year. We went to Catalina Rose Bay to celebrate my ex-work/gaming/foodie mate’s wedding. Catalina has been a Good Food Guide’s one-hat restaurant for a few years.
Catalina was also voted as the people’s award winner for 2015 by Australian Financial Review. The restaurant overlooked a beautiful bay with yachts and sunset view.
So, having a wedding venue that is a combination of great food and great view isn’t that bad, is it?
Travelling Entrée (or some might say roaming canapé) – Catalina Rose Bay Wedding
According to the Assistant Manager, the travelling entrée is not part of the regular menu at the restaurant. We get 10 (yes, TEN!) different travelling entrée. Being a travelling entrée, it was quite hard to get a picture of all of them although they were eventually put on display for the bridal party.
They were all quite simple but yummy entrée. Here they are in no particular order with my best guess of ingredients:
Smoked salmon with cream cheese and caviar on crostini
Fresh oysters with lemon and Catalina’s vinaigrette
What separate Catalina from wedding venues I attended before was its main course. Instead of having alternate main course for the table, they actually asked which of the two you prefer!
Roasted lamb rack with minted pea puree, baby beetroots & tomato jus
I sort of ‘cheated’ and asked the groom whether I should order the barramundi. He told me that I would love the lamb rack… Great advice! The dish came with TWO racks of lamb!
No surprise it was quite a sweet dish considering that it was complemented by beetroot, tomato and minted pea. It was a decent portion for main.
Roasted lamb rack with minted pea puree, baby beetroots & tomato jusRoasted lamb rack with minted pea puree, baby beetroots & tomato jus
Crispy skin Cone Bay barramundi with spanner crab ravioli, enoki mushroom, avruga, sage & eschalot cream
Being on the main table, I could not find someone that I could pinch the barramundi from. It did look very pretty and (without a doubt) grilled perfectly!
The complements further enhanced the seafood character of the dish.
Crispy skin Cone Bay barramundi with spanner crab ravioli, enoki mushroom, avruga, sage & eschalot cream
Dessert – Catalina Rose Bay Wedding
For the dessert, it was a no-brainer for me. I do not like dark chocolate and I tried hard to find someone who wanted to swap if I did get the dark chocolate… surely I did get the dark chocolate (which I quickly swapped with the other groomsman!)
Unlike the main course, the dessert was served alternately between guests.
Strawberry pavlova with lime curd & strawberry coulis
The two-tone pavlova looked elegantly simple.
Unfortunately when I got to the table, the ice cream was completely melted – we took way too many pictures! I was also quite full from the 10-course travelling entrees.
I did finish the pavlova to the last scoop and I think it was up to the one-hat standard.
Strawberry pavlova with lime curd & strawberry coulis
Dark chocolate mousse with wattleseed ice cream & cocoa tuile
As I am not a big fan of the dark chocolate, I had to ask my friend how it tasted and he said ‘it was nice’.
The technical aspects were quite apparent on the dish.
Dark chocolate mousse with wattleseed ice cream & cocoa tuilePetit Fours at CatalinaSommelier Adam and Port
When people talk about the best steakhouse in Sydney, you will always hear The Cut Bar and Grill as one of them. That’s why when a group of friends from overseas came to visit and wanted to try the famous Australian steak, I dared myself to take them there. It was sort of a gamble for me as I personally haven’t tried it before and I would really hate to have over-hyped and overpriced steakhouse.
There were eight of us and was one day before New Year’s Eve. I actually did not expect to be able to get a seat at The Cut. However, long story short, we were seated (and possibly the most underdressed bunch ever set foot in the restaurant).
As if the square boxes on the menu are not clear enough for you, I’ll make it clearer: when you are in the restaurant, ORDER A STEAK!
They have quite a large range of cuts with marble score ranging from 2 to 9+ (translate: If it is cooked properly, it is so friggen’ good!).
Côte de Bœuf – $145 – 1kg Grasslands Grass Fed served with two sides and two sauces
This steak is (supposed to be) designed for two people. It also comes with two sides and two sauces – that’s a $30 value!
When the steak arrived, it was eye-catching, looked juicy and perfect.
However, we seriously doubted that it was 1kg… or the fat was probably burned down by the 650ºC Broiler. In the end, we felt that one of us could finish this easily by ourselves.
The 400g was ordered by our other friend. However, the funny thing was that it looked bigger than our 1kg steak!
I did try the steak from my friend and it was pretty amazing. My friend even said that this was “The Best Steak in my life”.
Flat Iron Steak “The Butchers Cut” – $43 – 250g Rangers Valley Pure Black Angus MS 3-5
It looked pretty sad and small on that big plate. However, we have to consider that it’s only 250g.
Sauces – $4 – Bearnaise, Chimichurri, House Steak Sauce, Mushroom, Shallot Red Wine Bordelaise
I was actually quite intrigue with the chimichurri, but in the end we opted for House Steak Sauce and Bordelaise. I liked the house steak sauce better than the bordelaise.
Whipped Potato – $10
Cauliflower, Blue Cheese Dressing – $12
These two were the extras we ordered with our steak. We were also considering Rocket salad (my favourite vegetables), but the blue cheese dressing eventually got my vote.
We were invited by Sibling Agency and Scentre Group (aka Westfield group) to try Westfield Chatswood’s newest food precinct, Hawker Lane. If the name is not clear enough for you, Hawker Lane consists of 13 Asian restaurants, an ice cream place and a Taiwanese milk tea place.
When we arrived at the venue, we were given a sample of coconut juice topped with marshmallow and cake. They had a promotional at the Hawker Lane: When you made purchases at Hawker Lane of $20 or more, you received the coconut for free. The coconut really stole the show that day.
One Tea Grill – Baoger
One Tea Grill was the first restaurant we went to because we were so curious about their burgers. Their main attraction was the slider burger with three different kinds of burgers: ramen, matcha and rice. They also had three different patties: wagyu beef, teriyaki chicken, and green tea ice cream with red bean.
Cheers Cut
There are quite a few Taiwanese XXL fried chicken stalls in the city. The interesting bit about XXL chicken is its XXL size. It is seriously big! As you can see in the picture below, it is around three times the size of regular Taiwanese milk tea glass.
The rest of the restaurants are:
Aqua S – Dessert
Chachu’s – Indian
China Chilli – Chinese
Dumplings & Co – It had not opened when we were there
Gong Cha – Drinks – Taiwanese
Jim’s Malaysia – Malaysian
Lamb & Cumin
Noodle Warriors – It had not opened when we were there
Madame Nhu – Vietnamese
Makanai – Japanese
Mao Cai – Chinese
Nahm Jimm – Thai
Sushi World – Japanese
We also tried quite a few other restaurants on the day. The one that really stood out was Lamb and Cumin. We love the marinated lamb satay!
There was one stall that we missed out when we were there because we actually did not see the stall inside the precinct. I have tried the ice cream from the main shop for Aqua S in George Street. They are known for their sea salt ice-cream.
We also did not go to Mao Cai / China Chilli as the queue were ridiculously long on that day. Despite our curiosity, we could not be bothered queuing for it.
Details:
Level 2 Westfield Chatswood, 1 Anderson Street, Chatswood NSW 2067
This week, we were invited to Surry Hills Eating House. The restaurant is located in the corner of Elizabeth and Campbell Streets. It is owned by Sujet Saenkham of five Spice I Am restaurants in Sydney. Spice I am has a pretty good reputation in Sydney and it’s a great opportunity for me to try their other establishment. Surry Hills Eating House is a Thai restaurant that has quite a few seafood options.
Pla Tod Phae – $14.00 – Curried white bait fritter served with house made sweet chilli sauce and crushed cashew nut
I love white bait in Yum cha place. It is pretty interesting to see a white bait in a non-Chinese restaurant. Surry Hills Eating House’s white bait was amazing. It was probably our most favourite dish of the night.
Pad See Ew Chicken – $18.00 – Stir fried flat rice noodle with sweet soy sauce, egg and Chinese broccoli
We ordered this specifically for the little one. The portion was pretty decent and it was one of the best pad see ew chicken that we have ever tasted.
Phuak Neung Tod – $14.00 – Steamed dried shitake mushroom, dried shrimp and taro wrapped in bean curd skin and deep fried then served with spicy sweet coriander sauce
We were not going to order this entree. However, after looking at the first two dishes that came in, we decided to order this one. It was not a bad choice!
Gaen Kiew Wan Nua – $24.00 – Green curry slow cooked beef served with roti
The green curry was pretty good, but pretty spicy. They made the correct decision of serving it with roti. Curry tasted so much better when enjoyed with roti!
Lin Ped Pha Lo – $26.00 – Duck tongue simmered with five spice, served with braised pickle, green mustard and nam som (vinegar chilli)
We ordered this out of curiosity. There are not that many places serving duck tongue. They nailed it in terms of its taste. However, I think they should serve it as a side dish instead of a full main dish.
Cashew Nut Chicken – $18.00 – Stir fried cashew nuts, shallot, onion and chilli jam
For those of you who enjoyed individual serving instead of shared dishes. They have a variety of stir fry dishes. Cashew nut is probably one of the staple dishes in any Thai restaurants in Sydney.
Gaeng Het Pho – $28.00 – Phuket-style curry of bar cod fillet, Thai black mushroom and betel leaf!
This last dish was recommended by the waitress. It was one of the most ordered dishes at the restaurant. I guess it is true when they say the customers cannot be wrong! This curry is less spicy than the green curry we ordered earlier. I also liked the texture of the mushrooms.
Surry Hills Eating House
Did you know?
Eating house is located on level 2 of Triple Ace Bar. It is also within a walking distance to Spice I Am’s other restaurant: House Thai.
Details:
Level 2, 198 – 200 Elizabeth Street, Surry Hills 2010
