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.

Holy Duck

Holy Duck Review:

Personally, I have never been a big fan of going to Kensington Street. Finding a parking can be quite challenging. Public transport is probably the best option. So, when a friend suggested us to have dinner at Holy Duck, I was actually quite intrigued at the prospect of coming to Kensington Street. It was the end of winter and it was raining that day.

The menu had quite a few ducks on but they also served some of the usual Chinese dishes with a twist.

Crispy Rice Balls – $12 – with seasonal salad & Shanghainese sweet & sour sauce (4 pcs)

The crispy rice balls were a decent dish to start the night. They put a generous serving of salad. The rice balls were crunchy and soft at the same time. It was delightful.

Signature Crispy Duck – $68 – whole duck served with steamed pancakes, hoisin sauce, cucumber & shallots

Signature crispy duck is probably the dish you would want to try in a restaurant called Holy Duck. The duck came with the usual sides: steam pancakes, hoisin sauce, cucumber and shallots. However, unlike your usual Chinese restaurant, the crispy duck was very crispy with very tender meat.

If you are not in a big group, you might want to try the quarter or half a duck instead.

Seafood Ee-fu Noodles – $29 – cooked in lobster bisque garnished with butter, ginger & shallots

The seafood ee-fu noodles was meant to be ordered for our little one. However, after reading the ingredients and looking at the actual plate on the table, I think we also want to try it!

It was quite a big plate of noodles with quite a lot of seafood on it… and did I mention it was cooked in lobster bisque?

Steamed Chinese Greens – $17 – with oyster sauce.

Steamed Chinese greens is a dish that we always tried to order for our ‘green’ plate. Just like the other plates, the portion was quite generous.

Handmade Pink Salt & Black Sesame Egg & Spinach Tofu – $19

The egg and spinach tofu came up last and by that time we were already quite full. I think we ordered a tad too much. The dish itself was pretty good.

The final verdict for Holy Duck

Holy Duck’s signature crispy duck is the thing that made our trip to Kensington Street worthwhile.

Do you think I should go?

If you like duck, I’m sure you are going to enjoy their Signature Crispy Duck.

Rating for Holy Duck:

7.5 / 10

Taste: 8.0 / 10

Price: $40 – $50 per person

Place: 7.5 / 10

Details:

The Old Rum Store, 2-10 Kensington Street, Chippendale

+61 2 9281 0080

http://www.holyduck.com.au/

Nov 29, 2018
Kiroran Silk Road Uygur

Kiroran Silk Road Uygur Review:

The restaurant we reviewed this week is probably the most iconic uyghur restaurant in Sydney. Kiroran Silk Road Uygur restaurant is located between Chinatown and Chinese Botanical Garden. The restaurant itself looks pretty old fashioned with quite a basic look-and-feel. However, this doesn’t stop people from coming in and enjoying their BBQ lamb skewers or their jumbo chicken dish.

If this is your first foray into the Uyghur cuisine, you might find the menu to be quite challenging. If we can loosely describe the cuisine: it’s like a mixture of Chinese and Central Asian cuisines, such as handmade noodles and kawap (or kebab).

Tohogoshi Narin – $38 – Dapanji Jumbo size chicken dish, stir-fried chicken with Potato in Hot Chili and Garlic sauce. Served with 1 portion Fresh Handmade Noodles

One of the two ‘must order’ dishes in an Uyghur restaurant. It is kind of like szechuan chili, however they put a lot of potatoes and noodles in the chicken dish. However, it is still quite spicy.

They have two sizes: small and large… However, I reckon they should change the sizing to ‘massive’and ‘gigantic’. Our ‘small’ dapanji’s bowl is the same size as the largest bowl in other restaurants.

You can also order the ‘kids’ noodles that are already sliced to bite-sized noodles. It’s also a less spicier version of the noodles.

Borak Kazan Kawap – $15 – Stir-fried Lamb Kidney

This dish is one of my personal favourites, however I understand that it’s quite an acquired taste and not for everyone. It’s a pretty simple stir-fried lamb kidney with special uyghur marinade.

Kawap – $10 – BBQ Lamb Skewers (2 skewers per serve)

Pretty much everyone who went to this restaurant ordered this dish. Some of you might know it as lamb and cumin. It’s a very fragrance skewer of lamb pieces.

Stir-fried Rice with Diced Chicken and Veggies – $15

Just like everything else in this restaurant, even the side dish is pretty massive. You might want to go easy on the carbs and order more BBQ skewers!

The final verdict for Kiroran Silk Road Uygur

Kiroran is pretty much the household name for Uyghur cuisine. Their kawap and chicken dish are on a different level than similar restaurants in Sydney.

Do you think I should go?

If you love Uyghur or Xinjiang cuisine, then this is the place to be. Even if you just want to try Uyghur cuisine, I would suggest you to go to this restaurant.

Rating for Kiroran Silk Road Uygur:

7.5 / 10

Taste: 7.5 / 10

Price: $10 – $38

Place: 6.5 / 10

Details:

Shop 3, 6 Dixon Street, Chinatown, CBD 2000

+61 2 9283 0998

Nov 15, 2018
Dumpling King

Dumpling King Review:

Dumpling King is a Chinese restaurant located in Newtown, Sydney. The restaurant is quite unassuming and look pretty ordinary from the outside.

Shallot Pancake – $10.90

We always ordered shallot pancake in a Chinese restaurant because it has always been my little one’s favourite. The shallot pancake in the restaurant was pretty huge.

Pan Fried Chicken and Cabbage Dumplings – $12.50 – 12 pieces

I guess when you are in a place called ‘Dumpling King’, the only thing that mattered was the dumplings. They have a few different options for the dumplings and our choice went to the chicken and cabbage, pan fried. 12 dumplings for $12 is not a bad deal at all!

Shandong Chicken – $19.90 – Crispy Skinned Chicken in a delicious brown vinegar and shallot sauce

Shandong chicken is my staples when eating at a Chinese restaurant. We received quite a decent portion. However, the chicken was still sub-par compared to their dumplings.

Stir Fried Handmade noodles with lamb – $14.90

The other menu that we felt we had to try was the handmade noodles. Their noodles are actually pretty good and not too oily.

You could also have beef and chicken for the noodles.

The final verdict for Dumpling King

$12 for 12 dumplings is a good value, regardless of its taste. However, the dumplings at Dumpling King were pretty big and tasty.

I would be pretty happy if we were only ordering the noodles and dumplings the next time we visited the restaurant. Those two stood out above the rest.

Do you think I should go?
If you are around the area and are in need of a good dumpling, then by all means!

Rating for Dumpling King:

7.0 / 10

Taste: 7.0 / 10

Price: $11 – $20 per dish

Place: 7.0 / 10

Details:

194 King Street, Newtown 2042

+61 2 9557 2188

Dumpling King on facebook

Nov 5, 2018
Ginza Japanese Yakiniku

Ginza Japanese Yakiniku Review:

This week we were excited to try one of the newer Japanese Yakiniku restaurants in one of the newer buildings in Sydney: Ginza Japanese Yakiniku at the Emerald Square in Burwood. Everything in the area looked and smelled new. Parking can be quite troublesome in the weekend, but fortunately, we came in quite early.

Ginza Japanese Yakiniku has 2 set menu to choose from: the standard menu at $56.8 and the premium menu that would cost you $68.8. The main differences between the two menus are ox tongue, mixed tempura, oyster, scallop, and one more dessert. We decided that the premium menu didn’t really add that much more value… and went with the standard menu.

Ginza Japanese Yakiniku

Being in a yakiniku, the first question you might want to ask is: how many types of meat do they have?

The answer is 4 for standard and 6 (plus ox tongue) for the premium set. The good thing about Ginza was that they cut the meat to a bite size. That means you can cook it faster and you can enjoy it sooner!

Sashimi and Sushi

Despite only have two kinds of sashimi, the standard menu had a few other sushi to choose from, including our favourite: seared salmon nigiri. It is also pleasing to see that they use different plates for different order sizes.

Seafood

Outside the sushi and sashimi dishes, the standard menu only has a handful other seafood dishes. Whereas the premium menu has scallops, fishes and prawns that you can order.

Side dish

They have a whole bunch of side dishes available for both standard and premium menu.

Desserts

They have two ice cream flavours: taro and vanilla. Ginza Japanese Yakiniku is probably the only Japanese restaurant that serves taro but not green tea ice cream.

The final verdict for Ginza Japanese Yakiniku

We feel that Ginza Japanese Yakiniku is sitting on the more expensive side for a bbq restaurant in Burwood. Their standard set has quite a lot of vegetables. The premium set wasn’t too different and the selection didn’t really wow us.

Do you think I should go?
Ginza Japanese Yakiniku is still a pretty restaurant that is probably perfect if you want to impress someone. However, you could get similar quality dishes for cheaper price around the area.

Rating for Ginza Japanese Yakiniku:

6.5 / 10

Taste: 6.0 / 10

Price: $56.8 for standard and $68.8 for the premium set

Place: 8.5 / 10

Details:

Emerald Square Level 2, 27-31 Belmore Street Burwood NSW 2134

+61 2 9715 1456

https://www.ginzayakiniku.com.au/

Oct 23, 2018
Gunners Barracks Wedding

Gunners Barracks Wedding Reception:

This is the second time that we went to Gunners Barracks for a wedding celebration. They used to be called ‘The Tea Room at Gunners Barracks‘. Gunners Barracks is located on a waterfront in Mosman. I’m sure there are a lot of websites that talked about ‘Gunners Barracks Wedding‘, but we are here to talk about the food.

There were two sets of entree, main course and desserts for this occasion. Of course, a handful of canapes and free-flowing refreshments were also on the menu.

Entree

Tuna Sashimi, Avocado, White Soy, Nori

Rather than the normal sashimi, the first set of entree was actually a lightly seared tuna with a few cuts of avocado and sprinkled with seeds and some Asian greens. It was quite a simplistic start to the lunch service for those having the tuna.

Crispy Pork Belly, Pineapple Jam, Asian Leaves

On the contrary, the second set of entree was quite on the heavy side, crispy pork belly. Instead of the usual Apple jam, they used pineapple jam.

Main

Roasted Fillet of Beef, Potato Gratin, Broccolini, Pepper & Thyme Jus

I would call the first main Steak… I’m not sure why they called it ‘fillet of beef’ as it kinda looked like grilled meat. They chose to cook the steak more in the medium-to-medium-well range, which unfortunately wasn’t my cup of tea.

Pan Fried Tasmanian Salmon, Calamari, Crushed Peas, Sauce Vierge

The Tasmanian salmon, on the other hand, was exquisite. It was quite a delightful dish! The addition of calamari and sauce vierge further enhanced its taste.

Dessert

Dark Chocolate Fondant, Cornflake Ice Cream, Crumbs

Considering that I’m not a big fan of chocolate (yep, I’m weird…), the decision on who would pick the fondant was quite straightforward.

The presentation of lava cake was more on the dry side… akin to the sashimi entree.

Sticky Date Pudding, Vanilla Ice Cream, Butterscotch Sauce

The sticky date pudding, on the other hand, was drenched in butterscotch sauce and super creamy vanilla ice cream. It was pretty heavy and I felt guilty after finishing it… but it was very good.

What do we think about Gunners Barracks Wedding Reception?

Gunners Barracks is probably one of the best venues in Sydney (or Australia) to hold a wedding reception.

View this post on Instagram

Tuna sashimi from one of the best wedding venues in Sydney, Gunners Barracks #sashimi #tuna #wedding #lunch #celebration #celebrate #sydney #weekend #AllAboutFoodBlog

A post shared by All About Food Blog (@aaf_blog) on Sep 28, 2018 at 8:51pm PDT

Details:

End of Suakin Drive, Mosman 2088

+61 2 8962 5900

https://gunnersbarracks.com.au/

Oct 12, 2018
Ho Jiak Haymarket

Ho Jiak Haymarket Review:

There is a new-ish Malaysian restaurant opened earlier this year, called Ho Jiak Haymarket. They quickly gained fame in Sydney because of the use of unusual ingredients in their dishes, like ‘Indomee Goreng with lobster’. Yes… it’s not a typo… you get instant noodles with lobster!

One thing to note that compared to the other Malaysian restaurants, their price point is considerably higher. You will find most of their dishes are $20 or more. They also have a couple of monthly specials like the ‘crispy rendang’ below.

Kiam Ah Nui Kay – $12 – Stir-fried with salted egg yolk, butter and curry leaves

I know the description didn’t say it, but it’s basically chicken wings slathered with salted egg yolk. Also, given how rich it is, I recommend you to eat this dish with rice.

Sam Wong Dan – $15 – Silky steamed century, duck and chicken egg

We actually bought this dish for the little one. However, I ended up quite liking its taste. Sam Wong Dan is a Chinese-/Malaysian-version of chawanmushi. What we also didn’t expect was that the portion was big enough to be shared around.

Nasi Goreng Lembu – $25 – Fried rice with house-made shrimp paste. Choose from: Normal, special, Pattaya, Lembu, JUMBO, Lobster and Salted fish.

I guess you can only do so much in terms of presenting a plate of fried rice. However, you could potentially introduce an exotic ingredient into the dish. That’s what they are doing with Nasi Goreng Lembu. It’s a fried rice with wagyu beef!

They have a few other options with the fried rice.

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Indomee Goreng Lobster – $38 – Spicy stir-fried instant noodles with seafood. Choose from: normal, salted duck egg, king prawn, lobster

This is what we were here for. A $38 worth of instant noodles (yes, they actually wrote ‘instant noodles’ in the menu!). Obviously, the main attraction was what’s in the noodles. Lobster is quite a delicate crustacean, but Indomee was not typically known to be delicate. Hence, it took a skilful person to combine the two elements.

Crispy rendang with KFC Chicken – $38

I guess when there was an outcry about chicken rendang should not be crispy, Malaysian restaurants were actually racing to provide what the public was looking for: a crispy rendang. The Ho Jiak’s version of crispy rendang is to cover KFC-like fried chicken with rendang sauce. It was quite an interesting combo and I guess it would be enough to save that contestant from elimination. 🙂

Air Mata Kucing – $8 / $16 (Jumbo) – Luo han guo, dried longan and wintermelon

Air mata kucing is literally translated into ‘Cat’s tears’. It’s one of the famous Malaysian drinks that is very refreshing and cooling.

The final verdict for Ho Jiak Haymarket

Ho Jiak Haymarket is probably one of the best Malaysian restaurants in Australia. They are quite expensive but they backed it up with very nice taste.

Do you think I should go?
Definitely!

Rating for Ho Jiak Haymarket:

8.0 / 10

Taste: 8.5 / 10

Price: $30 – $40 per person with drinks

Place: 7.5 / 10

Details:

92 Hay Street, Haymarket 2000

+61 2 8040 0252

https://www.hojiak.com.au/

Sep 25, 2018