Una's - Darlinghurst

Una's Darlinghurst

After a hectically bad day at uni, I felt like a huge hearty meal to cheer me up. And hence, to huge giant schnitzel's we went! (the spontaneity means you have to cope with my mob pics)

Exciting blackboard menu

Looking at the blackboard and the menu, there were so many things I wanted. But being conservative, I went for the Chicken Jaeger ($19.90) served with yummy Rosti and somewhat oily cabbage salad.

When my Chicken Jaeger came out (ie. drenched in mushroom sauce), I was dumbfounded by the size. Yes, I wanted a huge hearty meal... but to get two big pieces of freshly deep-fried super crispy chicken schnitzel drenched in mushie sauce... dream come true! (not that I could finish it) It was soooo deliciousness! My partner believed that it too, was a top-rate chicken schnitzel (comparable to Tin Kee on Lvl 1 foodcourt, Westfield Parramatta), and for him to give that rating, that is definately saying something! The mushie sauce also had an unexpected kick to it~ mmm... so yummy!

The cabbage salad was a bit more oily and peppery than expected, but still makes me feel healthier than the schnitzel. And the rosti??? Heavenly! Kind of like a hashbrown - only better!

Chicken Jaeger with rosti and cabbage salad - $19.90

Cabbage salad (with meal)

My partner had a difficult time choosing between the pork knuckle and the blackboard special - Pork Schnitzel with rosti and cabbage salad ($19.90).

I loved my mushroom sauce - but to experience such tenderness (and hugeness) of pork schnitzel... how do they do it??? The pork was succulent and tasty, tender with every bite yet perfectly crunchy and crumbly. Wow! Amazingness! (althought I still stand by my mushie sauce).

Pork Schnitzel with rosti and cabbage salad - $19.90

The waiters were nice and friendly, and the atmosphere was cozy and warm. Una's is truely hospitality from the heart - and I heart giant schnitzels!

Ratings:
food - 9/10
service - 7/10
ambiance - 7/10
value for money - 7/10
overall - 30/40

Una's Darlinghurst
340 Victoria Street
Darlinghurst 2010
Tel: (02) 9360 6885

Taste of Shanghai - Ashfield

Taste of Shanghai Restaurant

To satisfy a craving for oily yet yummy food, my partner and I decided to dine at one of the Shang restaurants in Ashfield for lunch. When you think about it, the food at these places must be awesome when there are so many different Shang places to choose from in Ashfield, and you still have a little wait before you are seated in a cozy little restauarant. When we looked at the menu, countless things came up on our ordering agenda - yet, with just two of us, we were limited with the number of dishes we could eat.

Nonetheless, against my advice, my partner and I managed to order too much food... again.

First, our entree of chicken feet in vinegary sauce ($8.80). Understandably, some people dislike this dish. But luckily, my partner and I both enjoy the vinegary flavour and the mewing over the joints. To justify the amount of food ordered, my partner tried to convince me that he thought the dish only came with TWO chicken feet (as he only saw two on the menu...which was false anyway), making it a rip-off (ie. two chicken feet for $8.80). I saw straight through his lie.

Chicken feet in pickle sauce - $8.80

When at a Shang restaurant, you can't get away with not ordering Shao Long Bao ($10.80). We ordered the ones with crab meat flavour. These little dumplings were very flavoursome, the skin around it just the right thickness, and the soup just explodes in your mouth. And the crabby orangey stuff that clogs your arteries....Mmm... so deliciousness!!!Still... can't be healthy.

Steamed mini pork buns with crab meat flavour - $10.80

We also orders pan-fried pork dumplings ($8.80). These were sooo unexpectedly juicy, the flavour just explodes! (and literally so!). My partner bit into one of these and the juices hit the poor customer to my right (yes! across the table!!!). We just went on eating and pretended nothing had happened :)

pan-fried pork dumplings - $8.80

And now for the dish I thought we didn't need, but my partner was super convinced he could smash (and need I say, he was subsequently proved wrong) - it was the Shanghai pan-fried pork buns ($8.80 for a whole 8 of them!!!). These were quite more filling and heavy and larger compared to the Xiao Long Bao - and hence, there was NO WAY we could finish these. Nonetheless, I'm secretely glad we did order them as they were so crispy and crunchy on the bottom of the outside, soft and bun-ny on the top of the outside, nice and porky on the inside, and so nicely filled with (fatty) tastey porky msg-y clear soup on the inside. They were so fresh and hot they managed to burn my partner's tongue! (and my partner eats everything super hot having worked in a kitchen before).

pan-fried pork buns - $8.80

On the whole, it was a very satisfying meal. We took most of the pan-fried buns home and when we re-pan fried it, they were still deliciousness~ Service-wise... what can you expect from an Asian place? and ambiance? there must be some delightfulness of being cramped up in a little restaurant!!! (atleast gives you that "asian-ness" feel)

Ratings:
Food - 8/10
Service - 5/10
Ambiance - 6/10
Value for money - 8/10
Overall - 27/40

Taste of Shanghai
264 Liverpool Rd
Ashfield, NSW, 2131
Tel: (02) 9798 2877

Moby's - Whale Beach

For a sweet valentines day lunch, my partner took me to a nice but quiet, little yet not too little restaurant at Whale Beach. This restaurant had an awesome beach view, unjustified by the photo, and slightly dampened by the rainy weather.

Moby's

Greeted by warm and friendly staff, we were directed to what he described as "the best seat in the house". Given the layout of the restaurant, he probably said that to every couple who walked in on that day. LOL

We were quickly welcomed by the drinks menu - followed shortly by complementary bread which was crispy on the outside and nice and warm and fluffy on the inside. Drenched in melted butter, the bread tasted delicious!

fresh bread and butter - complementary

Shortly after we ordered, we were treated to complementary starters - thai fish-cake (made of salmon) with mango salad. Weren't the greatest fish-cakes, but it was good to know that it was actually really made of fish (enough to make me feel as if it's healthy).

salmon-filled thai fish cakes with mango - complementary

For starters, my partner and I could not resist the temptation of ordering the scallops and oysters. Or rather, my partner knew that I really wanted these two items and hence, posed it as if he wanted to order them :P

The sydney rock oysters were topped with salmon caviar and creme fraiche ($19.90 for half dozen). They were nice - smooth and tasty with that savoury satisfying *pop*from the caviar. However, my partner and I both agreed that they did not beat the oysters we had at Fine Fish (for the good food month).

Rock oysters with salmon caviar and creme fraiche - $19.90 (1/2 dozen)

The scallops were pan seared to perfection and served with parsnip puree, red peppers, and baby maiche ($24.50). I have a very slightly limited repetoire of foods I eat (I am a very picky eater), but I was tricked into eating this parsnip puree thinking it was mash. And, I am happy to say that I'm adding another wierd exciting vegetable to my repetoire of foods! Eating the scallops with the puree... mmm... delicious mix of aromas!

Pan seared Sea Scallops - $24.50

I ordered the steak and my partner opted for the barramundi (yeh, it was weird I know). As I forgot what my steak came with, I let the waitress talk me into ordering a side salad (though I was super tempted by the side wedges). The salad ($7.90) was fresh and crisp and added to my feeling of healthiness.

Side of green salad - $7.90

My scotch-fillet steak ($39.90), cooked medium, destroyed my feeling of healthiness almost immediately (but it was well worth it). The steak was super tender and super super super juicy. Eaten with the rich horseradish creme fraiche and dunked in red wine sauce... mmm... superb! The organic swiss mushies and the king brown mushies were also very much to my liking. My only complaint was that the portion was too huge! I felt as though I was eating two steaks! Luckily, my partner volunteered to help me out :)

Char grilled Scotch fillet with mushies in red wine sauce and horseradish creme fraiche - $39.90

My partner's wild gulf barramundi ($39.90) also came out perfectly cooked. I'm always scared that restaurants will over-cook my fish and make it dry and tasteless, but that was completely not the case with this barramundi. Served with perfectly cooked scallops and emersed with an asian soy-sauce taste, it was like a fusion of aussie and chinese food done well. The barramundi was also squashing bok choy, shiitake mushies, bacon, and wakame and was resting on a black bean, soy ginger broth.

Barramundi with sea scallops, bok choy, shiitake mushrooms and bacon - $39.90

By the end of the meal, I was too full for dessert (I know, it's rare), and I guess I wasn't too overly enticed by their desserts (or maybe I was thinking of splurging on dessert in Gold Class later on). Whatever the reason, we skipped the dessert.

The staff at this restaurant were friendly and helpful - I don't know if it was just the day, or whether they are like that normally. The ambiance is perfect for a quiet lunch/dinner. Has fabulousness view. And, by the looks of what they were doing, nicely decorate your tables when you have your wedding there. My partner curiously asked how many people they catered for for weddings (answer = 150), only to be met with an over-zealous staff offering us a look at the wedding package. Definately the wrong day to ask questions such as that! LOL

Definately recommending this place though! (even if the beach is choppier and less calm compared to Balmoral)

Ratings:
Food - 8.5
Service - 8.5
Ambiance - 9
Value for money - 8
Overall - 34

Moby's
227 Whale Beach Rd
Whate Beach, NSW 2107
tel: (02) 9974 2727