Category: Global Cuisines

All About Food Blog loves trying different cuisines from all around the world. Sometimes food has the same name but completely different look and taste.

FCBA x Butcher and The Farmer Meadowbank

We came to the Butcher and The Farmer Meadowbank to celebrate the fourth birthday of FCBA community. It also coincided with the 2-month anniversary of the restaurant!

Butcher and The Farmer Meadowbank

Butcher and The Farmer Meadowbank has a pretty different concept than the one in Tramshed. Instead of the upmarket style, this one is geared more towards the casual dining with predominantly Italian influence.

Antipasto

The first course that they presented at this event was antipasto.

They had the antipasto platter and a few dipping sauces. Bread and olives were always the staples in any Italian restaurant.

Pizza

At the event, Chef Fabio presented his winning pizza from an event where he came up as a runner up. While the pizza itself hasn’t made it to the menu, he made it for us on this occasion.

They also presented a few of the mainstays in the restaurant, including the quickly-devoured prosciutto with glazed pineapple pizza.

Pasta

The second act in Italian dining is always pasta… yes, right after pizza!

They had three different pasta on display, including the zucchini fettuccini and lamb ragu.

Chicken

They were saving the best for last. It was one of the best rotisserie chicken I have ever had.

The chicken was very juicy and the marinade worked really well with the garlic sauce.

Desserts

Sponsor at the FCBA x Butcher and The Farmer Meadowbank Event

This event was made more awesome by our following sponsors:

Butcher and The Farmer

Million Wines

Prost Beer

Spirits Platform

Milk Flower

Everdure

Cakes by Emily

MWave

Dr Krunch

Butcher and The Farmer

Details:

10 Rothesay Avenue, Meadowbank 2112

+61 2 8629 8828

https://butcherandthefarmer.com/au/

Oct 4, 2019
Tony’s Table

It took us quite a while before figuring out that Tony’s Table is a restaurant that we could try. You couldn’t really see the table setting from the outside as it was only a ramp down to the table area.

Their menu is on the premium price range with most main priced between $24 and $42.

If there are not many of you, I’d suggest the rice menu entree size with another dish should be more than enough.

Complimentary Lebanese bread and deep fried bread

Just like in any Lebanese restaurants in Australia, complimentary bread is unquestionable. Tony’s table treated us even further with the deep fried bread!

The dishes at Tony’s Table

Kebe Nayeh – $26 – Raw minced lamb mixed with crushed wheat, herbs and spices. Served with fresh mint and vegetables.

When we see kebe nayeh in a restaurant, we were always so keen to try. If you were wondering if I really wrote ‘raw minced lamb’, the answer is ‘yes’. It’s pretty similar in texture to Beef tartare. However, the mixture was different.

We ordered the dish with an extra garlic sauce on the side. Their kebe nayeh was so fresh and delicious. The complimentary fried Lebanese bread actually worked perfectly!

Siyadiyeh (fish) – $25 – Rice, infused with herbs and spices, and served with toasted nuts.

We actually didn’t know what it was. We just picked this from the list.

It turned out quite well. Since we chose the main size, the portion was quite large with a generous serving of fish, rice and nuts.

Mixed Grill – $30 – Two chicken, one kafta and one lamb skewer. Served with BBQ potato & side salad.

When we ordered the mixed grill, they were offering if we wanted to have a different combination than the menu. However, we stick to what was written.

The meat was very tender and juicy. They also provided a decent amount of sides with the mixed grill.

Knafeh – $15 – Baked fine semolina cream, topped with toasted bread crumbs, and served with rosewater syrup.

Knafeh… yumm!

They were very well made!

The final verdict for Tony’s Table

Having a restaurant pretty close to our home that serves awesome Kebe Nayeh… I can’t ask for more!

Do you think I should go?

The venue is very nice for a special occasion. Having said that, we did try to go there when the venue was booked for a wedding.

Rating:

Tony’s Table

8.0 / 10

Taste: 8.0 / 10

Price: $30 – $40 per person

Place: 8.0 / 10

Details:

Shop 1 / 805 New Canterbury Road, Dulwich Hill 2203

+61 2 8054 9598

http://www.tonysrestaurant.com.au/

Sep 20, 2019
Celebrating Indonesia Independence Day at P’Nut Zetland

P’Nut collaborated with the Indonesian consulate to host an event to celebrate Indonesia’s Independence Day. On this occasion, they had a few special dishes native to Indonesia and also some that are generally available in South East Asian restaurants.

We went to one of their restaurants, P’Nut Zetland. The restaurant is located in the East Village shopping center in Zetland. Half of the restaurant was transformed into a cooking demo area and also some large tables for showcasing their dishes.

They had a few substantial dishes: Beef Rendang, gado-gado and nasi goreng served in a cute mini wok.

P’Nut Zetland also showcased some of their mainstays in the restaurant like prawn dumplings, spicy fried chicken, mee goreng and pad see ew.

These next two dishes weren’t exactly part of the offerings from P’Nut. They were brought in by the Indonesian Consulate.

Two famous Indonesian snacks: Martabak and Terang Bulan (some also called it Sweet Martabak). Maybe ‘snack’ is a bit deceiving as both were super filling. You might know martabak in different shape and form as they are usually available in an Indian restaurant.

Terang bulan is more like a thick pancake with mouth-watering toppings like chocolate and cheese.

P’Nut Zetland cooking demonstration

To close out the event, chef P’Nut performed a cooking demonstration of an Indonesian favourite: Nasi goreng.

He masterfully showed us how to create a restaurant-grade nasi goreng pretty much from scratch!

The consulate also enlisted the help of an Indonesian Chef, Harjo from Medan Ciak. He created one of my favourite Indonesian desserts: Klepon.

Klepon is a sweet rice balls (like a mochi) with coconut and palm sugar. He gave us a few handy tips on how to make the best (well, in our case, a more edible) klepon!

I must say this is one of the most interesting invitation I have ever attended. In addition to showcasing what they have, P’Nut Zetland is also embracing the diversity of Indonesian dishes.

Details:
East Village Shopping Centre T9, 2 Defries Avenue
Zetland 2017
+61 2 9662 2905

https://www.pnut.com.au/

Sep 6, 2019
Chef’s BBQ

If you live around Petersham, you would not miss this restaurant at the main junction. Unfortunately, the spot is also well known to not survive the tough life in the Inner West.

Chef’s BBQ is the newest occupant of this spot. They are brave enough to open the only Korean BBQ restaurant in Petersham.

As a typical Korean restaurant, they serve a few plates of banchan (more well-known as ‘kimchi’). They also serve a plate of vegetables.

I quite like the variety on display in this restaurant.

Chef’s BBQ

Combination Wagyu Beef – $58

Their BBQ menu isn’t exactly cheap. However, I could see the quality of the meat reflects this price. On this occasion we ordered a plate of combination wagyu beef.

We were quite surprised that they actually cooked this meat for us on our table.

Seafood Pancake – $18

Unlike their bbq stuff, the price for the other dishes was more reasonable. We felt that the pancake, for example, was a pretty good value for our money. You could see the overflowing of topping in the pancake!

Bulgogi (marinated beef slice) – $19

For the bulgogi, they offered to either cook it for us or we could grill it ourselves. However, they did mention that it might be best if they cook it as it might fall of the grill given how thin bulgogi slices are.

I thought our table was big. However, with the many banchan plates, rice bowls, and the other dishes, the table was packed!

The final verdict for Chef’s BBQ

I must say visiting Chef’s BBQ was a pleasant surprise for us. We were happy with the quality of meat that they served and the number of banchans.

Do you think I should go?

It’s not really a Strathfield Korean. However, it’s a nice alternative and not too busy either.

Rating:

chef’s bbq

7.0 / 10

Taste: 7.0 / 10

Price: $30 – $40 per person

Place: 7.5 / 10

Details:

77 New Canterbury Road, Petersham 2049

+61 2 9569 4714

Chef’s BBQ on facebook

Aug 28, 2019
Neon Pigeon – Singapore

Just a few minutes walk from the MRT station in Chinatown, Neon Pigeon can be quite hard to spot from the outside. The restaurant concept was Japanese izakaya with a little fusion twist.

The menu at Neon Pigeon can be enjoyed in either small or large plate, except for one curious prime rib that would cost up to $500.

For our visit, we ordered everything on a small plate.

Neon Pigeon – Birdfeed

I would assume they called it ‘birdfeed’ because of their inherently small portions. However, as you read through this, it’s not necessarily the case.

Tokyo hummus – $9 – edamame, curry chips

The night started off with a bang! I don’t know how they make this hummus. IT WAS AWESOME!

We didn’t mind paying an extra $2 for the chips to dip into those goodies!

Hamachi tartare – $16 – tofu-miso dressing, daikon, quail egg, sesame crisps

One of my dining mates didn’t quite like the tartare as it tasted a little too fishy.

Seabreem sashimi – $18 – tamari cured, green apple, yuzu kosho, tempura seaweed

The seabreem dish, on the other hand, was pretty good. The crunch of tempura seaweed and the tartness of the green apple complemented the fish nicely.

Roasted bone marrow – $19 – furikake seasoning, crispy garlic, toast

I got to finish the whole dish because none of my dining mates found it appealing.

I have always loved bone marrow and this one was very nice!

Neon Pigeon – Vegetables

Spicy baby corn – $12 – red miso, corn creme

I’ve had two amazing corn dishes this year. While this baby corn was nice, it was obviously not as superior.

Crispy brussels sprouts – $15 – mirin glazed bacon, karashi

This was a nice little side dish for our otherwise meaty affairs.

Miso roasted eggplant – $12 – eggplant puree, mint, fried lotus chips

The baba ghanouj-style eggplant was one of the favourites for this dinner.

Seafood

Pan seared scallops – $21 – smoked tofu, wakame, ponzu, yuzu sago

The portion for this dish was pretty tiny. It would probably have been more enjoyable if we each received one bowl.

Meat N Poultry

Fried chicken wings – $18 – burnt miso & garlic dressing, preserved carrots

We didn’t originally order this. However, one of my dining mates couldn’t eat quite a lot of dishes we had ordered. The preserved carrots weren’t exactly a big hit.

Smoked baby back ribs – $23 – sake barbecue sauce

If you went with 3 people, it would mean 1 tiny rib per person. The rib itself was pretty tasty. However, the portion could be better.

The final verdict for Neon Pigeon

The drinks and the small dishes at Neon Pigeon were very good. However, the substantials could probably be improved… or removed.

Do you think I should go?

It’s a nice izakaya place to wind down after a hectic day in Singapore.

Rating:

tomodachi

7.5 / 10

Taste: 7.5 / 10

Price: s$9 – $48 per dish

Place: 8.5 / 10

Details:

1A Keong Saik Road, #01-03, Singapore 089109.

+65 6222 3623

https://www.neonpigeonsg.com/

Aug 16, 2019
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