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.

Tomodachi

We went to Rhodes to meet up with a friend from the area. We decided to go to Tomodachi Japanese restaurant in the shopping centre for ease of parking. Tomodachi has the option for quick sushi train or the more sit-down bento type.

My little one quickly snapped up a couple of plates from the sushi train before we even ordered anything.

Tomodachi Japanese restaurant in Rhodes

Goma Usuzukuri – $15.8 – Thinly sliced king fish, yuzu and goma dressing

Fresh king fish with a squeeze of yuzu… nothing can go wrong with that combination!

Salmon Sashimi – $13 – 7 pieces

This was another safe bet that the little one love. They were nice cuts of sashimi.

Age dashi tofu – $8.8 – Deep fried tofu with bonito, spring onion, dried seaweed and sauce

I actually quite like this ratio tofu-to-sauce. It enables us to still taste the crunch but at the same time enough soup to enjoy.

Salmon Yakiba – $18.8 – Grilled salmon seasoned with salt and pepper, served with ponzu sauce and steamed asparagus

The ponzu sauce added an extra dimension to the salmon.

UNA bento – $24.8 – marinated bbq eel

It was quite a generous portion of bento box. It was a nice surprise to find that there were quite a few different side dishes in the box.

The final verdict for Tomodachi

Tomodachi is quite an okay restaurant in Rhodes.

Do you think I should go?

It’s a pretty decent place to have lunch or dinner.

Rating:

tomodachi

7.0 / 10

Taste: 7.0 / 10

Price: $15 – $20 main dish

Place: 7.0 / 10

Details:

Shop 74, Level 1, Rhodes Waterside, 1 Rider Boulevard, Rhodes 2138

+61 2 9736 1764

Tomodachi on Rhodes Waterside website

Aug 8, 2019
Kid Kyoto

Kid Kyoto review:

I went to Kid Kyoto with a friend of mine from overseas. You need to venture into the alleyways of Sydney CBD to find this Japanese izakaya.

Since we were not in the mood of choosing dishes, we opted to go for the big set menu of $75 per person. There were 10 dishes for this menu.

Lotus chips, wasabi salt – $6

Red snapper, tiger’s milk, pickled fennel, persimmon – $24

These first two dishes really set the expectations for the night. The chips were really crunchy and nice. The red snapper was very nice and acidic.

Wagyu beef tartare, black sesame dressing, pickled beetroot – $22

Tacoyaki croquette, Katsuobushi mayo, tonkatsu sauce – $17

Grilled King Prawn, lime miso tare – $16

This is when things get really exciting. The image for wagyu beef tartare didn’t really capture the essence of how good it really was.

Creating takoyaki as a croquette brought a different dimension for this Japanese snack.

There was a hint of spicy taste on the prawn but it brought out the smokey flavour of the prawn. The only downside was we only got one each.

The highlight of the night at Kid Kyoto

Corn ribs, smoked chilli miso, rice puff, togarashi – $15

This is the second time I got really excited about eating corn in a degustation. The corn was pretty spicy… but we did not mind that!

It was perfect.

The main

Sake miso chicken, sticky burdock, lotus root – $28

Brussel sprouts, seaweed butter, yuzu – $9

‘Chahan’ Japanese fried rice – $16

While the mains were pretty decent, in my opinion, it failed to lift up the expectation we had during the small dishes.

The miso chicken was nice, but it felt like a regular teriyaki chicken. The Brussel sprouts was a side and fried rice was probably a bit too substantial for being the last three dishes.

Matcha ganache, puff rice chocolate crumb, apple sorbet – $14

Having had a pretty heavy main course, I was glad that the dessert was pretty light and refreshing.

However, it wasn’t spectacular either.

Kunizakari Jousen Jonjozo | Aichi 65% – $45 – Light bodied, crisp and clean finish

Yuzushu | Nara – $45 – Made with fresh yuzu juice & premium sake. Deliciously sweet & sour

We ordered the first sake at the beginning and the yuzu-flavoured one towards the end of the service.

The Final Verdict for Kid Kyoto

The price of the set menu is 75 pp. If we calculate the total cost of individual dishes, it is a saving of $17. Having said that, the dishes that they served were high quality. However the main was a tad underwhelming.

You might want to consider a la carte, if you don’t eat that much (aka drink more) at Kid Kyoto.

Do you think I should go?

If you are looking for an izakaya that is unlike the others, but still served very good dishes, then you should try Kid Kyoto.

Rating:

9.0 / 10

Taste: 9.0 / 10

Price: $75 per person set menu

Place: 9.0 / 10

Details:

17 – 19 Bridge St, Sydney 2000

+61 2 9241 1991

https://kidkyoto.com.au/

Jul 8, 2019
Gloria’s Cafe

Gloria’s Cafe Review:

Gloria’s Cafe is said to be the oldest Portuguese restaurant in Petersham, or even Sydney. We were pretty curious about the restaurant because that’s the only one we haven’t been to.

Their menu is pretty old fashioned and offering either tapas-style or main-sized dishes.

Plain bread w/ butter – $2

Before you even start ordering, order the bread. They are so warm and good!

Cogumelos com natas a casa – $14 – Creamy mushrooms

Rissois de Camarao – $3.5 each – Savoury shrimp Portuguese empanadas

The mushroom seems to be on the high end of the scale for a tapas. It was pretty good tho. The empanadas was pretty crunchy and savoury.

Rojoes – $17.5 – Pork chunks cooked in red wine, topped with cooked onions

I did not get the chance to taste this but the portion was pretty small.

Bowl of hand-cut fried round potatoes – $6

This potato is a must order. We had to order an extra bowl because it was so worth it!

Espetada a Casa – $27 – Large chargrill rump skewer served with chips and salad

Given that this is supposed to be the main attraction, the beef was pretty decent but it was pretty thin.

They do come with chips and a bowl of salad.

Guisado de Carneiro – $27 – Lamb stew cooked in red wine with potatoes, mushrooms, beans and carrots.

I liked the lamb stew more than the espetada. This one had a lot more flavour and could fill you up pretty quickly.

Desserts at Gloria’s Cafe

Apologies I didn’t get the names of these desserts, but the middle one was super light and airy with the sweet yellow sauce.

Judging from his expression, the chocolate mousse seemed to be decent as well.

The final verdict for Gloria’s Cafe

Gloria’s Cafe has a very good bread and chips. However, the espetada fell short compared to restaurants in the area. They have a bit more variety compared to the others.

Do you think I should go?

If you are tired of Portuguese chickens and want to try something else from the region, you might want to visit Gloria’s Cafe.

Rating:

7.0 / 10

Taste: 7.0 / 10

Price: $14 – $30 per dish

Place: 7.0 / 10

Details:

82 Audley St, Petersham 2049

+61 2 9568 3966

http://gloriascafe.com.au/

Jun 25, 2019
Kubota Japanese Cuisine

Kubota Japanese Cuisine review:

We were walking down Audley street in Petersham when my son saw this little Japanese restaurant called Kubota Japanese Cuisine. We didn’t go in the first place but promised him we would be back.

After researching about the restaurant, I found out that it has only been recently opened. The price listed on the menu was actually pretty reasonable for a Japanese restaurant.

Age Mochi – $7.5 – Crispy deep fried Mochi in sweetened soya sauce

We were pretty curious when we saw age mochi on the menu. I always thought that mochi is only good for desserts. However, they made sure when they coated that mochi with agedashi it is as tasty as its tofu sibling.

The dish is quickly becoming one of our favourites.

Japanese Sweet Omelette – $1.2 per piece – Sweet Japanese-style omelette

I like a good and simple Japanese omelette. They are pretty light, fluffy and slightly sweet.

Deep-fried Crispy Squid tentacles – $7.5

Geso karaage is another staple snack that we usually ordered in an izakaya. They went pretty well with a pint of beer or sake.

Karaage (main size) – $18.5 – Japanese style deep fried chicken

The karaage at Kubota is pretty old-fashioned. Instead of the usual ‘Western’ style that is slightly sweet. This was plain old crunchy and savoury.

Grilled Salmon in foil – $19.5 – with spicy miso butter sauce and variety mushrooms

Our last dish came from the ‘today’s special’ board. They could work more on the presentation and title. However, the taste was amazing. It wasn’t really spicy as advertised. However, it’s already very different than most Japanese dishes.

The final verdict for Kubota Japanese Cuisine

Kubota is a pretty decent restaurant in Inner West.

Do you think I should go?

We like the restaurant because of the vicinity with our place. However, it is probably not a destination you would specifically go to for a Japanese cuisine.!

Rating:

7.0 / 10

Taste: 7.0 / 10

Price: $15 – $20 main dish

Place: 7.0 / 10

Details:

Shop 1 & 2 98-106 Audley St, Petersham 2049

+61 2 9569 7774

Kubota Japanese cuisine on facebook

Jun 17, 2019
Kafeine Balmain

Kafeine Balmain review:

It was a pretty uneventful Sunday and we just happened to be in Balmain. We decided to try a cafe called Kafeine. The cafe itself was quite busy but we managed to get a seat there.

I was actually quite surprised when I browsed through the menu. The menu consists of a few Asian ingredients here and there. When I checked with the people at Kafeine, they mentioned that they were all from Indonesia. Some of the combination was quite interesting and we decided to give it a go.

Kafeine Balmain – Menu

Breakfast Tasting Plate – $22.90 – Corn fritters, eggs benedict, smoked salmon& black sticky rice porridge

This is the one plate-fits-all approach at Kafeine. You basically don’t need to order anything else. You pretty much get entree, main and dessert in one plate. It is also the fastest way to try a lot of the menu in the store.

I would like to mention that the black sticky rice porridge is actually pretty heavy. Make sure you save some space for that dessert.

Salmon Paradiso – $22.90 – Grilled Atlantic crispy skin salmon, 65-degree Za’atar egg, pickled ginger, asparagus, currants, pecans & brown rice salad

This is another pretty substantial dish that was available at Kafeine. They gave us a bucket load of brown rice. The dish itself reminds me of Hawaiian poke bowl but with grilled salmon.

Volcano Dog – $18.90 – Fried egg, beef sausage, chili con carne, cheddar cheese on a croissant

Chili dog on a croissant? who doesn’t want to try! It was a little bit harder to hold when compared to a hot dog as the croissant is notoriously flaky.

Having said that, I actually quite like the combination. It was very filling but without the ‘stuffed’ feeling.

Ice Chendol Flavour Pancakes – $17.90 – Pandan coconut pancakes, fresh cut fruit, coconut flakes, coconut palm sugar sauce and vanilla ice cream

Ice Chendol is an Indonesian/Malaysian rice flour dessert that was usually served on glass with ice. They deconstructed this and made pancakes instead with vanilla ice cream and a few cuts of fruit. They keep the palm sugar sauce element intact.

Chia Pudding – $15.90 – Soaked chia seed in coconut & strawberry juice, mango puree, toasted coconut & fresh cut fruits

I love the chia seed pudding.

Latte – $3.80

The final verdict for Kafeine Balmain

We went to Kafeine in Balmain out of convenience. But we left the cafe already thinking about when we should go back!

Do you think I should go?

Definitely!

Rating:

8.5 / 10

Taste: 8.5 / 10

Price: $15 – $23 main dish

Place: 7.5 / 10

Details:

260 Darling Street, Balmain 2041

+61 2 9555 1140

http://www.kafeine.com.au/

May 19, 2019
COOH Alexandria

COOH Alexandria Review:

Alexandria, especially the area around The Grounds, has become some sort of hot spot for up-and-coming restaurants in Sydney. COOH Alexandria is situated just across the Grounds. They have a massive dining space with quite a lot of tables. It could get a bit too loud when the restaurant is full.

We went there for lunch. There were quite a lot of vegetarian options on the menu. One of my friends was looking for some kind of steak but the only beef on the menu was burger.

Chicken Burger – $16 / $20 with chips – Free range hormone free marinated chicken breast with free range nitrate free bacon, cheese, smashed avo, rocket & tzatziki served on an organic charcoal bun

There were quite a lot of fancy words in the menu for the chicken burger. The charcoal bun stole the spotlight for the burger.

Moroccan Lamb & Quinoa Salad – $26 – Chermoula marinated free range junne lamb rump served medium, sweet potato, coriander, currants, caramelised onion, cherry tomatoes & mint yoghurt

I have never seen a lamb dish that could look so healthy before. I admire how they could make it into something that looked quite delicate.

Grilled Salmon & Soba Noodle Salad – $28 – Grilled ora king salmon with soba noodles, pickled ginger, avocado, ponzu dressing, coriander & mint

I don’t know how to describe it, but this combination worked. I liked how the lightness of Japanese-style soba was paired up with the grilled salmon and a slice of avocado.

Seared Tuna Salad – $25 – Spice crusted tuna with spiralised salad, jalapeno salsa & avocado puree

Going along with COOH’s team of light and heavy dishes, the seared tuna salad did just that. On one side, you have a mixture of salad and on the other side you had avocado puree topped with seared tuna.

Desserts

Chocolate brownie & jasmine cream – $15 – Fudge macadamia brownie with jasmine infused ganache monte & plant-based peanut butter ice cream

I’m not a big fan of chocolate, but this one was a bit better than our second dish. They chose to pair the brownie with jasmine cream and peanut butter ice cream. The resulting dish was this semi sweet and savoury dessert.

Pineapple & coconut verrine – $15 – Almond cake, coconut-chia cream, poached pineapple & lime sorbet

Unfortunately the second dessert didn’t impress us like the first. It was super sweet.

The final verdict for COOH Alexandria

COOH Alexandria serves quite a balanced dish.

Do you think I should go?

I’ve been to the restaurant twice and both times the food wasn’t too bad. However, the service could probably be improved. In saying that, I couldn’t really blame them either as there was only a handful of them in that massive space.

Rating:

7.5 / 10

Taste: 7.5 / 10

Price: $20 – $28 main dish

Place: 7.5 / 10

Details:

90 – 96 Bourke Road, Alexandria 2015

+61 2 9002 1333

https://www.cooh.com.au/

May 6, 2019