Tag: No Pork

A list of restaurants in my blog that is considered to contain no pork to the best of my knowledge

O!Momo | OMomo Nepali Cafe

O!Momo – OMomo Nepali Cafe Review:

This review was probably 6 years overdue. I promised a friend of mine to visit his momo stall in a Saturday market (yes… such a bad friend!). However, that stall has now evolved into a full-blown Nepali restaurant/cafe in Kogarah, called O!Momo.

Their menu was quite simple: Momo of all kinds and a few other Nepali snacks.

When you order a plate of momo, you can choose any 2 sauces from 5 of their chutneys: Yellow chutney, Green chutney, Tomato Chatney, Red Chutnew, and Badam Chutney. By default, they are all quite spicy except for the yellow chutney.

Monkey Platter – $18 – A sample plate of the following: aloo dum, Sadeko wai wai, Choila, Chicken Lollipop

If you don’t know what to order for entree, they give you an option to try a bit of all of them… and that’s exactly what we did on our first visit. In short, they are: spicy potato, crispy noodles salad, chicken salad, and deep fried chicken lollipop.

Chicken Sadeko Wai Wai – $7 – Noodle salad with chickpeas and puff rice, crispy, tangy spicy

Since we enjoyed the sadeko wai wai so much on our first visit, we ordered just that in our second visit. According to the chef, this dish was not 100% Nepali as he has drawn inspiration from Indonesian’s crispy shallots and noodles.

Momo platter – $20 – 4 pcs of steamed, pan fry, chili and sadeko

Similar to the entree, this should be your choice if you did not know what to order. In total, you will get 16 momos. $20 for 16 momos? That’s not bad, eh?

Tareko (Deep Fried) – $11 – 8 Delicious handmade Nepali dumplings

Instead of 4 dumplings, you actually get 8 dumplings for the individual ones. So if you like a particular style of cooking, you might as well order that instead of the momo platter.

Chilli (Stir Fried) – $12 – 8 Delicious handmade Nepali dumplings

For our second visit, we tried the buffalo chilli momo. They charge $2 extra for buffalo momo. That chilli momo got us hooked from the first time we tried them! The chef explained it to us that they actually triple-cooked this momo. First they steamed it, then deep fried, before stir-frying it with their chili sauce.

Drinks

They have a few drink options, including a Nepali beer. However, on this occasion we chose the watermelon juice.

The final verdict for O!Momo – OMomo Nepali Cafe

I’m not saying this because I know the guy who runs the show… but their momo were very nice! That triple-cooked momo got us hooked from the very first minute… and did I mention we visited them 2 more times after our initial visit?

Do you think I should go?

Definitely! If you are interested in trying Nepali dumplings, O!momo is the place to be.

Details:

126 Railway Parade, Kogarah 2217

+61 2 7900 5603

http://omomo.com.au/

Nov 27, 2017
Lashings Brighton-Le-Sands

Lashings Brighton-Le-Sands Review:

I think this is only the second time that I have ever been to Brighton-Le-Sands in Sydney for dinner. There is really nothing uniquely Brighton-Le-Sands that I cannot get elsewhere. We went to a burger joint called Lashings Gourmet Takeaway. I quite admire their bravery in using the word ‘lashings’ as the name of their restaurants.

But for now… let’s talk about their food!

Caesar salad with turkey bacon – $7.50 – Small

One of the interesting things about lashings is they don’t use pork meat (and its derivatives). So instead of the usual bacon, you get turkey bacon in your caesar salad!

You can get the salad on its own, or part of the meal with your burger.

CAJUN – $11.50 – Marinated breast fillet + mayo + rocket + cajun relish + grilled capsicum

We actually ordered this but the little one decided to snatch it off us. He said it was so good that he did not want to share until he was full!

LASHINGS – $11.90 – beef pattie, tomato, beetroot, lettuce, tasty cheese, turkey bacon, grilled pineapple, egg + your choice of tomato or bbq sauce

You don’t need to be a rocket scientist to figure out that the one burger you have to choose in a restaurant called Lashings Gourmet Takeaway is the Lashings burger. Their burger is quite big for the price. This burger was also full of good stuff!

Chicken Wrap – $11.90 – Choose chicken burger to be made a wrap

Pretty much all of their burgers can be made into a wrap if you prefer.

Kids Pack – $9 – Chicken chippies + chips + Pop Top Juice

They have the usual options or a smaller burger for the kids menu.

Mozzarella sticks

I forgot to take picture of the price. However they have three options here: 6, 10, and 15 sticks. They are not that big and you can possibly finish 10 all by yourself.

The final verdict for Lashings Brighton-Le-Sands

They have a large variety of burgers. Their burgers are quite decent for the price they charge.

Do you think I should go?

If you are around the area and are in need of a quick lunch, you might want to consider them. However, I don’t think you would want to drive down from Hornsby to have a burger in Brighton-Le-Sands.

Rating for Lashings Brighton-Le-Sands:

7.0 / 10

Taste: 7.5 / 10

Price: ~ $12 per burger

Place: 6.5 / 10

Details:

2/376 Bay street, Brighton Le Sands 2216

+61 2 9567 7812

http://www.lashings.com.au/

Oct 10, 2017
The Eate, On The Spit and Off The Grill

The Eate Review:

I don’t know what the best description for The Eate. Personally, I think it is as an upmarket charcoal chicken and/or burger joint.

Looking at their menu, they put much emphasis on their spit roast meats. Burgers and Yiros are the next main items in the menu.

Spiced Eggplant Chips – $10 – with pomegranate, mint & parsley

Every once in a a while you find something on the menu that is very unusual and make you wonder how it would taste. Eggplant chips is one of them for me. Seriously, how can you resist deep fried eggplant?

The Fish – $12 – Flathead fillet with herb aioli, chesse, lettuce, guindillas

Before writing this review, I have to google guindillas first. Apparently it is a Spanish word for chili peppers. Don’t be alarmed, the guindillas they used were super mild.

Yiros – $11.5 – Spiced chicken with onion, parsley, guindillas, shallots, garlic sauce, tomato, chips, in fresh made pita

A friend of ours told me that when you visited The Eate you must order their charcoal chicken. Their spiced chicken is actually a derivative of the charcoal chicken, enhanced further with spices for the yiros.

Small salad – $6

They have a few different salad dishes you can choose from over the counter. If you are feeling a bit peckish you might want to order some.

Latte – $3.50

Their coffee is actually not bad when compared to the ones around the area.

The final verdict for The Eate

The Eate is quite a decent burger/yiros joint. You might want to try their charcoal chicken when you are there.

Did you know?

The Eate’s location is a bit out of the way in Dulwich Hill unless you came by light rail. It is just next to the Dulwich Grove station.

Rating for The Eate:

7.0 / 10

Taste: 7.0 / 10

Price: $15 – $20 per person

Place: 7.0 / 10

Details:

555 New Canterbury Road, Dulwich Hill 2203

+61 2 9568 3283

http://www.theeate.com.au/

Sep 18, 2017
兰州 Chinese Noodle Bar Burwood

兰州 Chinese Noodle Bar Review:

We went to this restaurant last week because one of us wanted to eat in a Halal Chinese restaurant. Chinese Noodle Bar is the name of the restaurant in English. I think in Chinese it’s called ‘Lanzhou La Mien‘ or Noodles from Lanzhou.

Being a noodle bar, I think it comes as no surprise that their menu predominantly features noodles in any shapes and kinds.

Crispy jellyfish and cucumber in sauce – $8.00

Jellyfish is one of my favourite cold dishes in a Chinese restaurant. It is kind of a safe bet as most restaurants would serve this nicely.

Tofu with preserved egg – $9.80

The price might seem a bit much for a cold dish in a Chinese restaurant. However, if you see the portion, it was actually quite big for a cold dish. Lots of tofu, that’s for sure!

House Specialty Beef Noodle Soup – $10.80

Our first noodles dish is the soup one. The kids truly enjoyed this dish so much that they ordered an extra serving of noodles.

Stir-fried noodle with Mix Seafood & Veg – $14.80

The portion for this stir-fried noodles was quite massive.

BBQ Lamb Skewer – 1 for $3 / 4 for $11.00

The skewers were well presented but I don’t think it can match the ones I have had before.

Pan fried dumplings (Beef/Chinese chives and egg) – $12.00 – 12 pieces

$12 for 12 pieces of pan fried dumplings? Don’t you think it’s a very good deal?

Personally, I think this is the best value and best overall dish in the restaurant. Also, it is particularly hard to find halal pan fried dumplings in Sydney.

Shallot Pancake – $8.00

The pancake was quite soggy and lacking the taste.

Main Noodles Dish – flat rice noodles with potatoes and chicken

Apologies, I could not find the name of this dish. It is the first signature dish on the menu.

The dish came in three sizes (S, M, L). We ordered the medium one and they said it was perfect for 2-3 people. We believe it’s more for 4-5 people!

The dish was quite spicy and we believe there was not enough sauce.

Mapo Tofu

The final verdict for 兰州 Chinese Noodle Bar Burwood

Chinese noodle bar was quite okay if you live around the area. It is also a good place if you are looking for dishes with massive portion. One thing to note tho, the pan fried dumplings are a must!

Rating for 兰州 Chinese Noodle Bar Burwood:

6.5 / 10

Taste: 6.5 / 10

Price: $15 – $20 per person

Place: 6.5 / 10

Details:

183 Burwood Road, Burwood 2134

+61 2 9744 6680

Aug 26, 2017
Al Aseel Lakemba

Al Aseel Lakemba Review:

We went to one of Al Aseel restaurants in Lakemba for this week’s review. The restaurant wasn’t as prominent nor as busy as the one in Greenacre. However, they have exactly the same menu and price.

Fried Lebanese Bread – $2 – and Baba Ghanouj – $11 – Delicious eggplant dip made from blended fresh bbq eggplant, tahini & garlic served with diced tomato & extra virgin olive oil

Al Aseel gives you complimentary Lebanese bread and a few pickles. What interests me is that for a mere $2, you can get the upgraded version of the bread, deep fried! I love having deep fried Lebanese bread and baba ghanouj dip.

Shish Barak & Mjadra – $25 – minced lamb dumplings cooked in yoghurt & served with rice & lentils (mujaddara)

This dish is part of their main special item on the menu. The lamb dumplings were quite interesting. Unfortunately for us, the yoghurt was quite prominent. It was quite an acquired taste and we did not get it.

Al Aseel Mixed Skewers – $32 – 2 skewers of marinated bbq chicken breast, 2 skewers of lamb & 2 skewers of kafta served with garlic dip

When we went to Al Aseel the first time, we liked this dish so much. This time around, it was a no-brainer.

Samka Harrah with Rice – $22 – oven baked barramundi fillet topped with a traditional spicy tahini & coriander sauce served with seadieh rice & topped with nuts

Fish is probably the last thing on your mind when you go to a Lebanese restaurant. We chose this just because my wife felt like having a fish that day. It was a good decision!

Crumb Calamari & Chips – $10 – fresh fried calamari rings served with golden brown chips

We ordered this to appease the little one. It is the safest and generic option in the restaurant.

The final verdict for Al Aseel Lakemba

Al Aseel Lakemba has quite a similar tasting to the original one in Greenacre. However, the table setting isn’t as fancy despite the same price structure.

Did you know?

We reviewed Al Aseel in Greenacre more than a year ago.

Rating for Al Aseel Lakemba:

7.0 / 10

Taste: 7.0 / 10

Price: $25 – $40 per person

Place: 7.0 / 10

Details:

135 Haldon Street, Lakemba 2195

+61 2 9758 0000

https://alaseel.com.au/

Aug 3, 2017
Sally’s Grill and Hotpot

Sally’s Grill and Hotpot Review:

Our friends told us that there was a new Halal Korean BBQ restaurant in Kingsford. We went to Sally’s Grill and Hotpot at the end of last month. The restaurant was actually owned by the same group who owned Halal Thai restaurant a few doors down the road.

The menu looks like a mashup between Korean and Japanese BBQ. Their two main offerings are the hotpot and BBQ grill. You have to spend a minimum of $30 for the BBQ grill. Just like in Korean restaurants, you get a few complimentary side dishes.

Cheese spring roll – $8 – 4 pieces – and Takoyaki – $8 – 7 pieces octopus balls

The cheese spring roll was quite the favourite here. The name ‘spring roll’ might be a bit misleading as it is just cheese coated with bread crumb and deep fried. With the takoyaki, I’m sure a lot of restaurants can make a decent takoyaki.

Braised beef short rib hot pot – $30 – cook on the table with vegetable and sweet potato noodle in homemade Bulgogi sauce

I am actually quite happy with the size of the hot pot.

If you don’t want the preset hotpot, you can also choose the shabu-shabu option, This way, you can choose your own ingredients for the hotpot.

Snow cheese fried chicken – $12 – 8 pieces

The snow bit is actually coconut shaving. Nevertheless, the fried chicken is interestingly sweet and crunchy.

BBQ Grill

They have assortments of meat and seafood dishes on offer. However, you have to order at least $30 initially. It’s not that hard to do if your choice goes to the wagyu meat.

Interestingly, the vegetables are pretty cheap in this restaurant. Everything is $3!

The final verdict for Sally’s Grill and Hotpot

Sally’s Grill and Hotpot automatically has a place in the mind of those who looked for halal BBQ restaurants.

Did you know?

As I previously mentioned, this restaurant is part of a rather successful Thai restaurants group: It’s time for Thai.

Rating for Sally’s Grill and Hotpot:

6.5 / 10

Taste: 6.5 / 10

Price: minimum of $30 for BBQ

Place: 7.0 / 10

Details:

315 Anzac Parade, Kingsford 2032

+61 2 9357 6100

Sally’s Grill and Hotpot on Zomato

Jul 25, 2017