3 Weeds Rozelle - Rozelle

It's been a while since I've been truely super happy with a meal so when I tasted the fabulous food at 3 Weeds in Rozelle (deemed the best restaurant in a pub by the Good Food Guide) I was over the moon! We were first served with bread and butter (all made in house). The bread was yummy and soft. The butter had smoked salt sprinkled on it - making it super super tasty.

housemade bread and butter

The Amuse Bouche was a King Fish ceviche. The fish was super fresh and tasty and was topped with horseradish ice cream, chilli and lime dressing. It was beautifully presented and tasted amazing. :)

amuse bouche - king fish ceviche

For starters, hubby and I shared the Coral Trout Gravlax ($23) and oysters ($3.50 each). The restaurant was kind enough to split our entree onto two plates - and placed both plates beautifully. The trout was served with a bit of caviar, kohlrabi, blood orange, broad beans, Viet mint and Malibu granita. Again, it tasted refreshing and subtly sweet and yum.

trout gravlax - $23

The small, plump and creamy oysters were lightly dressed with sake and lime vinaigrette. Simple yet elegant and hits the spot.

Oysters with sake and lime vinaigrette - $3.50 each

Our waiter, though super smiley and friendly, had a strong accent. He recommended a main which was the special for that night. The only words I could really get out was slow cooked 38hrs, wagyu beef and scampi. But it sounded enticing enough and he practically swore on his life that it was spectacular so I ordered it. And oh boy - it was so crazily delicious!!! The beef was 'melt in your mouth' and very beefy in taste. The texture was just sooooo awesomely soft and creamy and matched the scampi and the scampi sauce beautifully. There were some micro-herbs as garnish as with some random shallots. It was so rich and delectable - I could tell that hubby wanted to steal all of it ... but of course he wouldn't :P

slow cooked beef with scampi

Hubby enjoyed his meal almost just as much. He ordered the Riverina Milk Fed Lamb ($36). The roast rump of lamb was cooked with rosemary, caramelised white asparagus, pickled veges and buttermilk. He said that it was really yummy and tender. Cooked perfectly I think.

Riverina Milk Fed Lamb - $36

We also ordered two sides. One was the potato puree with truffle oil and the other was green beans with pine nuts. The potato puree was OmG~!!!! So smooth. So creamy. So rich. So truffly. So amazingness!!! The beans were good too - but had no match on the potato.

sides of potato puree and green beans

We also had coffees to finish the meal off but due to unfortunate circumstances, some photos were lost. It was a spectacular meal - I would most definitely come here again. We both left feeling fully satisfied :)

Ratings:
Food - 9/10
Service - 7/10
Ambiance - 7.5/10
Value for money - 7.5/10
Overall = 31/40

3 Weeds Rozelle
193/197 Evans Street
Rozelle NSW 2039
Tel: (02) 9818 2788

Gia Hoi - Eastwood

Hubby and I were looking for a place to eat around Eastwood and decided on a relatively new Viet joint - Gia Hoi. There were quite a lot of people in the place and they also have a few other franchises around so we thought it would be alright. Being seated, the first thing we noted was that everything was so orange. I don't know if it's just the lighting or what, but sitting in there gave everything an orange tinge.

Hubby ordered their three colour sweet ($4) aka three bean drink. He liked it just as much as any other three bean drink.

three colour sweet

In terms of food, hubby ordered a special beef rice noodle soup ($13). The bowl was massive, there were ample toppings - beef balls, beef tripe, raw noodles, beef tendon the whole lot. Unfortunately, this pho lacked taste. The soup was rather tasteless - no herbal flavour, no sweet flavour, no salt, no anything! Disappointed much...

special beef rice noodle soup

I went adventurous and didn't order my normal - beef ball beef tripe noodle soup. Instead, I ordered a combination egg noodle soup ($11). My soup (chicken based) was heaps heaps tastier than hubby's beef broth. In the combination the toppings were a bit meagre... one prawn, one slice of fish, some pork slices and then some random stuff like pork liver. The noodles were quite yum and the soup was good - not too bad :)

combination clear noodle soup

Compared to other (better) Viet restaurants, this place is a little pricier and the food a little less good. Probably better places to eat at in Eastwood than this...

Ratings::
Food - 6.5/10
Service - 6/10
Ambiance - 6/10
Value for money - 5/10
Overall - 23.5/40

Gia Hoi
219 Rowe Street
Eastwood
NSW 2122
Tel: (02) 8084 2588

Parramatta Phoenix - Parramatta

For my father-in-law's birthday, hubby and I took him out to Parramatta Phoenix - reason being that it's close and it's convenient. Though it's been open for around one year, I haven't really heard much about this restaurant in terms of quality of the food. In fact, though it's so close to home for many family and friends, I don't think this restaurant is frequented by anyone~

So I had no real expectations for this restaurant as we went (albiet late due to work). As my father-in-law enjoyed seafood (particularly fish), we ordered several types of seafood. We had 2 steamed oysters each. The oysters were reasonably sized and steamed with ginger and shallots and soy sauce. It was tasty and smooth. No grainy sands found. And very muchly appetising. Though, each swallow (which was very easy to do) was $5.50 a pop.

steamed oysters

We also had sugar snap peas with scallops. The scallops were really large and perfectly cooked. None of that tiny stringy stuff that you get at most other restaurants, this was really nice juicy sauteed scallops on very yummy and well cooked sugar snap peas. Quite enjoyed this.

sauteed scallops with sugar snap peas

Fish was a must. Steamed barramundi was ordered. It was decently sized and cooked well. The meat was tasty and fresh. The fish was devoured entirely by us seafood lovers.

steamed barramundi

Last but not least was my unhealthy pick - deep fried taro with duck. Yup - high oils, high fat, high cholesterol but oh so tasty and yummy. The taro was really smooth with just the right balance between sweet and savoury. The duck was soft and tender. And the 'crunch' was flaky golden goodness. YUM but definitely a 'sometimes' food.

Crispy taro duck

I was actually quite impressed by this meal. The food here is pretty quality. Maybe because it is slightly pricier than other chinese restaurants in the area, the restaurant was largely empty. The service was reasonable and we got sweet watermelon and oranges to finish the meal. It's not a bad option for a good Chinese meal in Parra.

Ratings:
Food - 8/10
Service - 7/10
Ambiance - 7/10
Value for money - 7/10
Overall - 29/40

Parramatta Phoenix
Westfield Parramatta
Level 4, Shop 4070
159-175 Church Street
Parramatta NSW 2150
Tel: (02) 9891 3338

Revolver - Annandale

One of our friends recommended a nice little café called "Revolver" in Annandale. He was, however, unsure of whether or not air conditioning was available at this place which really was worrying as the temps for the day soared towards 40 degrees. Luckily, our gamble payed off and this bustling café did come complete with cool air.

Many breakfast and drinks options were available - all sounding absolutely delicious! My friend said that the cheeseburger ($14.50) was a go - hence, that's what he and hubby ordered. As promised, the beef patty was succulent and tasty. The beef came with old school pickles, smoked mozzarella cheese and a blob of tomato, salad and beetroot came encased between two soft buns. Seasoned chat potatoes (instead of chips) came with the burger. Hubby and my friend said that this was pretty good. Except... the missing magic ingredient was the fried egg. Hubby washed down his burger with a old school chocolate milkshake with malt. Not a bad lunch :)



cheeseburger

chocolate milkshake with malt

I opted for the parmesan scrambled eggs with sumac cured bacon, a heap of fennel and rocket salsa  all on a yummy buttered wholegrain slice of bread ($14.50). This was really yummy. Sure, the scramble could have been a bit runnier, but the rest of the package was great! My iced coffee was also pretty yummy and tasty for the hot summer's day.

parmesan scrambled eggs with bacon and rocket

iced coffee

My other friends ordered the eggs benedict (which I pretty much drooled over) and also the ricotta hotcakes (which was so super thick~). Everything here looked and smelt delicious. Definitely a good local corner joint :)











Ratings:
Food - 8/10
Service - 7/10
Ambiance - 7/10
Value for money - 7/10
Overall - 29/40

Revolver
291 Annadale Street
Annandale
NSW 2038
Tel: (02) 9555 4727

Cornersmith - Marrickville

Marrickville seems to be the up and coming suburb. Loads of cafes have popped up everywhere.One up and buzzing cafe is 'Cornersmith'. Though small and thoroughly fully occupied, this cafe has a good and efficient system going. There's a little blackboard attached at the door - when you get here, you just pop your name down and your name gets crossed off as you get seated.

Cornersmith

The blackboard menu makes everything there seem really yummy. I've been told that the menu changes quite regularly, ensuring pleasant surprises for return visits :P

blackboard menu

 As usual, coffees first. Skim capps (regular & large) were really tasty and deliciousness. The coffee was strong, the milk frothed well and the whole package smooth and aromatic.

coffees

Food-wise, I had a ham and egg roll ($12). Poached egg with ham, watercress, red cabbage, some apple jam thing and some garlic aioli, all captured within the thick bread bits. The egg oozed out as I cut into it making it super delicious with the garlic aioli. Not a bad breakfast feast.

ham and egg roll

Hubby opted for two poached eggs which came with lightly toasted bread and apple jam. Hubby added seasoned avocado  to it. The eggs, avocado and toast was simply a match made in heaven!

poached eggs with avocado

Cornersmith patrons seemed to come in waves. At times, the cafe was crazily busy - but there were still times were the poor waiters could take a breather. In all, this is a pretty good breaky and coffee place. Well worth a visit :)

Ratings:
Food - 8/10
Service - 7/10
Ambiance- 7/10
Value for money - 7/10
Overall - 29/40

Cornersmith
314 Illawarra Road
Marrickville
NSW 2204
Tel: (02) 8065 0844

Hukuya - Eastwood

My mum's been going on about this Jap restaurant for years and years and years and though I had never been, the intention to give the place a visit had been on my mind for quite some time. Expectations were low - given that it was a Korean owned Jap restaurant,  but we gave it a go anyway. The place was surprisingly packed out! We sat down at the sushi bar and ordered our sushi.

We had the regular sushi - 10 pieces ($16) and the inside-out california roll - 9 pieces ($13). To my amazement, it tasted pretty damn good! The fish was fresh and cut well (though somewhat inconsistently good across the different tables). It was a good fish to rice ratio. The rolls which came with the regular sushi was a bit odd and mainly consisted of cabbage, but my california rolls were deliciousness~

regular sushi (10 pieces) - $16

inside out california roll - $13

I have to say, it's not a bad Korean-owned sushi joint. No wonder it's so busy all the time~ Definitely will be back for a quick bite :)

Ratings:
Food - 8/10
Service - 7/10
Ambiance - 6/10
Value for money - 7.5/10
Overall - 28.5/40

Hukuya Sushi Bar
Shop 1, 25 Railway Pde
Eastwood
NSW 2122
Tel: (02) 9804 8200