Category: Sydney

All About Food Blog is currently based in Sydney, Australia. It is obviously THE place to be if you want to find food from all over the world.

Chat Thai Westfield

Review:

I have been wanting to write about this week’s restaurant for years. It was one of our favourite late night destinations (retired from nocturnal activities four years ago). Chat Thai has a few restaurants in Sydney. On this occasion, we went to Chat Thai Westfield in Sydney CBD for dinner.

One of the interesting thing about Chat Thai is that they have different menu for different time of the day: Lunch, Dinner, and Supper. Supper menu is only available in Chat Thai Haymarket (Thaitown).

Padt Thai Chicken – $14.00 – stir fried thin rice noodles with chicken, dried shrimps, bean sprouts, galic and chives in a tamarind and palm sugar sauce

If you google ‘National dish of Thailand’, Google will tell you that it is Pad Thai. However, it is not something that we normally look for in a Thai restaurant. We ordered this because other people in the party love a good Pad Thai.

Som Dtum – thai-bpu – $14.00 – Green papaya salad with peanuts and dried shrimps with the addition of pickled crab

People generally judged a good Thai restaurant based on its Pad Thai. For us, som dtum is the dish that we’d like to measure how good a Thai restaurant is. Chat Thai Westfield’s som dtum was one of the best we have ever tasted! It was fresh and had a lot of punchy flavours, especially from the pickled crab.

If you are not sure about pickled crab, you can order the normal Som Dtum Thai.

Gai Yaang – $14.00 – Char grilled turmeric and lemongrass marinated chicken with smoked chilli and tamarind relish

Crying Tiger – $14.00 – Char grilled beef tenderloin with smoked chilli and tamarind relish

Gai Yaang and Crying Tiger are the two dishes that my Thai friend always ordered when dining at Chat Thai Westfield. These two are also staple food in Thai restaurants. Both dishes were cooked to perfection. They were juicy and full of flavour!

Gai Yaang

Crying Tiger

Mussamun nuea – $16.00 – Mussamun curry of slowly braised beef shin and potato

This is a curry my partner love to order in a Thai restaurant. You can tell Chat Thai Westfield’s mussamun is great by the quality of its meat. The curry was thicker than other massamun curries we have tried and the meat was so tender that you can actually fork it off!

Suki Chicken Soup – $14.00 – braised chicken and glass noodles with water spinach

This is a dish that is rarely seen in a Thai restaurant. It resembles Chinese hot pot dish.

You can opt for a soup or dry suki.

Padt Si-ew – $14.00

The little one always orders Padt Si-ew when we go to a Thai restaurant. This dish is probably the most generic out of all Thai dish and the little-known brother of Padt Thai. It was a simple dish of rice noodles, chicken, vegetables and sweet soy sauce.

Bpla Dtom Som – $24.00 – steamed blue eye cod in caramelized palm sugar, turmeric and tamarind sauce.

I ordered this dish because of the picture in the menu. Being the most expensive dish of the night (and the last to be served) definitely put some pressure on this dish to deliver. All I can say is that it did not disappoint. Despite looking a bit overcooked, the fish was still perfect. The combination of sweet and sour sauce (a different kind!) was also very good!

The final verdict for Chat Thai Westfield

Chat Thai is one of my favourite Thai restaurants in Sydney! Should I really say more?

Did you know?

Unfortunately we had to skip on the desserts as we were pretty full at the end of the dinner.

With that said, I can create a whole post for Chat Thai dedicated solely for its desserts. They have a nice range of desserts. My personal favourite is Pa Tong Go – deep fried donuts with pandan sauce. I glanced at the dessert menu in Chat Thai Westfield and could not find it there, but they are definitely available in Chat Thai Haymarket.

Rating for Chat Thai Westfield:

8.0 / 10

Taste: 8.0 / 10

Price: $14 – $24 per main dish

Place: 8.0 / 10

Details:

Shop 6002, level 6, Westfield Centre Point, 188 Pitt St, Sydney 2000

+61 2 9221 0600

http://www.chatthai.com.au/

Aug 4, 2015
Silvas Portuguese Traditional Charcoal Chicken

Review:

The dish on the picture above seriously turned every head in the restaurant (ours as well when we first visited the restaurant). However, this Petersham restaurant, Silvas Portuguese, is actually famous for its traditional Portuguese charcoal chicken.

We were a bit confused when we first came to the restaurant. We joined a line which eventually turned out to be the line for takeaways. If you want to dine in, you should proceed straight away to the sit down area where it was full-serviced.

Entrée – Polenta ($1.50 per slice), Garlic Bread ($4.50), Garden Salad ($5.00), Olives, Bread ($3.00), Rissoles ($3.00)

They give you free bread and olives for the entrée. However, you should also try their polenta… it was really good!

They also gave out some elements of the entrée for free for the dishes that you ordered. So, make sure you don’t order too much of them!

Goat Casserole – Special menu

The goat casserole is not always available and it was the Special item on the blackboard. The portion was quite gigantic and you also received vegetable rice and a slice of polenta. The casserole was full of flavour and very rich.

Chicken Roll meal – $12.50 – Silva’s traditional charcoal chicken in a roll with homemade mayonnaise, served with chips

If you want a simple and quick bite, Silvas Portuguese also served the charcoal chicken in a roll. It is a handy option to have if you don’t want to get your hands dirty.

Steak Sandwich meal – $13.50 – Grilled veal fillet on a Portuguese roll with a light spread of butter, served with chips

The steak sandwich was sub-par when compared to the rest of the dishes we enjoyed that night.

Espetada a Madeirense – $26.90 – Traditional Madeira-style diced aged rump on a skewer cooked over charcoal with rock salt and served with home-style garden salad and garlic bread

So, this was the dish that we went back for! The way it made an entrance to the table is a spectacle on its own. It was brought out on a very long skewer and hanged in the middle of the table with fat still dripping down!

The aged rump steak was very salty, courtesy of generous amount of rock salt. However, it actually worked beautifully for steak that was cooked medium rare.

Whole Chicken – $26.50 – Whole charcoal chicken served with chips and vegetable rice

This dish is what the majority of customers came to Silvas Portuguese for. We have tried four famous charcoal restaurants around the area and agreed that Silvas was the best of the four.

The final verdict for Silvas Portuguese

If you have a dish that turned heads and made people think “I should have ordered that one”, then you are in a good place! Silvas Portuguese restaurant did just that with their Espetada a Madeirense. Their Portuguese Chicken also deserved a mention!

Did you know?

My Brazilian friends always go to Petersham to buy Brazilian Rump Cap. The place is called Portuguese Spanish Butchery.

Rating for Silvas Portuguese:

8.0 / 10

Taste: 8.0 / 10

Price: $11 – $36 per main dish

Place: 7.0 / 10

Details:

82 New Canterbury Road, Petersham 2049

+61 2 9572 9911

http://www.silvas.com.au/

Jul 27, 2015
Why Thai Restaurant

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Unfortunately, Why Thai has closed its doors for good.

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Review:

We went to Why Thai for a random weekday dinner. Since there were only three of us, we could only order a few dishes. The restaurant wasn’t that busy with quite a lot of people ordering for takeaway (including someone coming in in onesie). Service was also nice and friendly.

Web Spring Rolls (5 pcs) – $6.50 – Mixed minced prawn and crab meat in spider web-like wrap served with sweet chilli sauce

For the price, the portion was actually pretty decent. The spring rolls were actually pretty big and had a nice crunch.

Tamarind Infused Prawns – $17.80 – Deep fried light battered prawns tossed in WHY THAI signature sweet tamarind sauce with mixed vegetables

We were obviously drawn into this by the word ‘signature’ on the description. Generally speaking, anything with ‘signature’ is more special than the ones with the word ‘special’. However, it might be pretty beneficial to include ‘crispy egg noodle’ in the description.

I love how the dish was pretty colourful. The combination of tamarind and pineapple was also pretty refreshing!

Crispy Egg Noodle in Gravy Sauce with Seafood – $14.80 – deep fried egg noodle topped with Thai style gravy egg, oyster sauce and vegetables.

We ordered this dish because we were craving for a similar dish that is called ‘i fu mie’ in Indonesia. It is a tale of the halves: half crunchy, half soft, half dry, half soupy. However if you don’t eat it quickly enough, it will all be pretty soggy.

The final verdict for Why Thai Restaurant

We ended up having three deep fried dishes at Why Thai Restaurant. Granted that it might be better to have a curry or stir fried dish, but I quite enjoyed all of them. Service was also pretty good at the restaurant.

Did you know?

Thai restaurants often have eye-catching names like Why Thai Restaurant.

Rating for Why Thai Restaurant:

7.0 / 10

Taste: 7.5 / 10

Price: $12 – $19 per main dish

Place: 7.0 / 10

Details:

52 Belmore Road, Randwick 2031

+61 2 9398 9552

Jul 21, 2015
Manpuku Sydney

Review:

Unlike in the city, ramen restaurants are pretty rare in the Eastern Suburb. Manpuku Sydney is a small restaurant in Kingsford that sells ramen, almost exclusively! You can also get a small bowl of rice but it’s hardly a main course and more like an add-on if you are still hungry or need to finish the soup.

There are not a lot of varieties in the ramen, but here are a few that you need to know:

“Kono Deaini Kanshashite Aijyou to Jyounetsu Komete Issyoukenmei Tsukutta Uchirano Icchan Sukina Manpuku Shiawase” Ramen or Long Name Ramen – $12.90

I kid you not, that’s actually the name written in the menu. I usually refer to it as ‘long name’ ramen… it is easier to remember!

It is a ramen with soy-based pork soup, pork belly, egg, shallots, bamboo shoot, beansprout, and seaweed sheet.

Manpuku Red – $13.90

It is a ramen with soy-based pork soup, pork belly, sliced mushroom, beansprout, shallots, seaweed sheet, egg, dried shrimp powder… and hot chili flavour!

A word of advice: The ‘normal’ spicy level is already pretty hot.

Shio Gara – $11.90

It is a ramen with salt-based chicken soup, pork belly, beansprout, bamboo shoot, shallots, seaweed sheet, and egg.

Shio Gara is quite different when compared to the rest of the ramen. Instead of a thick soup, it is a clear soup with the usual ramen stuff. It is a lot lighter than the rest of the menu.

The next two ramen dishes are part of limited time menu. Although it seems to always be available, you might not be able to order it when you were there as they sell out quite quickly.

Double Impact – $15.90 – Heaps of shredded cha-shu, 2 eggs, beansprouts, shallots, mushrooms, 2 seaweed sheets.

This is the ramen that you must order when you have the chance! Instead of getting a sorry-looking piece of cha-shu, you are actually getting heaps of it. You also get double the eggs and seaweed sheets… and all of those are only $3 more expensive than the long name ramen.

Shinku-Hado Buta – $14.90 – Heaps of shredded cha-shu & 2 eggs

Shinku-Hado Buta is pretty similar to double impact. They just have a different soup and slightly less stuff in it.

The name is pretty similar to the big ball of energy from Street Fighter, isn’t it?

Manpuku Bowl – $2.90 – Cha shu, rice, egg, bean sprout, cabbage

Manpuku bowl is actually pretty small. It is the perfect addition when you are still famished after devouring the ramen and still have some soup left.

The final verdict for Manpuku

Double impact or shinku-hado buta are the two ramen you should be aiming for when eating at Manpuku Sydney!

Did you know?

This is the English translation for the long name ramen: Thanking to this wonderful encounter, this is our most favorite Ramen we make with our whole heart with lots of love and passion into it, so happy with being full.

Rating for Manpuku:

7.5 / 10

Taste: 7.5 / 10

Price: $12 – $16 for a bowl of ramen

Place: 7.0 / 10

Details:

482 Anzac Parade, Kingsford 2032

+61 2 9662 1236

Manpuku on Facebook

Jul 13, 2015
Jamie’s Italian Sydney

Review:

Jamie’s Italian restaurant is probably one of the most reviewed restaurants in Sydney. It has been almost four years since they opened their doors in Sydney (2011), but we just got the chance to visit it last weekend. As we arrived at Jamie’s Italian Sydney quite early (around 5.30pm), we got the table straight away.

When you walked into the restaurant, you were welcomed by a wall filled with different pasta (and Jamie’s books of course!). From this ‘hint’, we know that we should order some pasta.

Italian Bread Selection – $2.25 – Homemade rosemary focaccia, Italian grissini, crispy music bread & ciabatta from our bakery. All served with Rylstone extra virgin olive oil and aged balsamic.

I was going to say that this dish might probably be the best-valued item in the menu, however when I read old reviews they used to give this for free. Since quite a lot of items on the menu is carbs-heavy, you might want to think about adding some more into your system.

Crispy Squid – $12.90 – Fried squid, garlicky mayo & lemon

Despite its tiny portion, everything else was perfect for this dish. The squid was crispy on the outside and easily chewable on the inside. The mayo was also incredibly smooth and really punchy.

Potato and Truffle Tortellini – $24.95 – Delicate pasta parcels stuffed with ricotta & potato, tossed with butter, truffle & parmesan

This is the best dish of the day for me. I love the sauce… better yet, I can still imagine how good it tasted! The dish was both filling and yummy!

Prawn Linguine – $16.25 – Juicy pan-fried garlicy prawns served with tomatoes, chilli, rocket & fennel

The little guy ordered this dish (entrée size). The waiter actually warned us that there were chilli inside the dish. At first, he was reluctant to eat it, but we explained that the chilli here was nowhere near as spicy.

Fish in a bag – $29.50 – Baked sustainable fish, clams, mussels, chilli with Sicilian cracked wheat & pine nuts topped with our fiery arrabiatta sauce

Now, this dish’s fiery taste was real (although still not as spicy as some dishes I’ve tried in my life). They actually served it still wrapped in aluminium foil and baking paper. However, the fish was cooked perfectly!

Ice Creams – $9.00 – Three delicious scoops of Serendipity ice cream (vanilla and salted pistachio) served with smashed honeycomb and seasonal fruits.

Despite not having their own ice cream, they managed to combine this delicious ice cream with smashed honeycomb and fruit compote perfectly!

The final verdict for Jamie’s Italian Sydney

It was definitely a nice experience dining at Jamie’s Italian Sydney restaurant. Despite its busy environment, the people are still very friendly and the food was very nice!

Did you know?

Jamie’s Italian got its name from Jamie Oliver (that famous chef from the UK, but not the pissy one) but you might never see him at ‘his’ (practically owned by a different entity) restaurant in Sydney.

I am actually not a big fan of al dente pasta and prefer one that has been cooked thoroughly.

Rating for Jamie’s Italian Sydney:

8.0 / 10

Taste: 8.0 / 10

Price: $20 – $48 for main dishes

Place: 7.5 / 10

Details:

107 Pitt Street, Sydney 2000

+61 2 8240 9000

Jamie’s Italian Sydney

Jul 7, 2015
Daisy’s Milkbar

Review:

For a few months before we finally managed to visit this restaurant, its signboard ‘milkbar’ had caught my attention. There was that sense of old-fashioned / retro look to the restaurant. The restaurant’s name is Daisy’s Milkbar.

On a Sunday afternoon, the restaurant was buzzing with people. One thing that made us happy was that the staffs were all lively and cheerful even when the wait was actually quite long.

Salted Caramel Milkshake – $7

Being in a milkbar won’t be complete without actually drinking milkshake. As an added bonus, the milkshakes from Daisy’s Milkbar were said to be one of the best ones in Sydney… and it was spot on! As a comparison, we tried three salted caramel milkshakes for the last couple of months, and this was the best one!

Pot of Sticky Chai (brewed with milk) – $5

It is a drink that I ordered out of curiosity. The sticky chai latte had a very strong taste. It is only recommended for people who are passionate about chai!

Avo Toast – $9

Seasoned smashed avocado served with garlic toast and grilled cherry tomatoes. I am actually not a big fan of the ingredients’ combination, especially savoury avocado – I am used to Avocado being juiced with condensed chocolate milk and coffee. However, my partner seemed to be loving the dish.

Pesto Eggs – $15

Scrambled eggs served with pesto and Persian feta on toast. This pesto eggs is the dish that I actually ordered.

It was quite a heavy breakfast dish and was the perfect size for my brunch.

Breakfast Burrito – $12.50

The breakfast burrito might look pretty simple, but the fillings really packed a punch: scrambled eggs, bacon, chorizo, potato, chilli, coriander, jalapeno, chipotle sauce and cheese.

This is the breakfast dish that looked the most attractive from the ones we ordered. You can also have the vegetarian option by swapping bacon and chorizo for beans.

Toastie – $8.50

It was a simple sourdough toast with cheese, ham, tomato and mustard mayo

The toastie is almost as simple as the egg and soldiers below.

Egg and soldiers – $5

For the kiddos… toasted slices of bread dipped in soft-boiled egg.

The final verdict for Daisy’s Milkbar

Daisy’s Milkbar has quite a simplistic presentation for their dishes. Their milkshakes were one of the best ones in Sydney.

Did you know?

After talking to some people, apparently Daisy’s Milkbar is famous for its desserts as well. Unfortunately we did not order them this time around.

Rating for Daisy’s Milkbar:

7.0 / 10

Taste: 7.0 / 10

Price: $9 – $15 for main dishes

Place: 7.0 / 10

Details:

340 Stanmore Road, Petersham 2049

+61 2 8065 3466

http://daisysmilkbar.com/

Jul 3, 2015