Kam Fook - Chatswood

On Saturday, my partner and I were lucky enough to attend what I'm inclined to call the "wedding of the century" in terms of it's hugeness and it's importantness. Their huge wedding reception took place in Kam Fook Seafood Restaurant at Chatswood.

Table arrangements

Details of the wedding aside, I guess what's most important to talk about here is the food. Needing to serve 24 tables full of guests (~12 per table) at roughly the same time, the waiters decided to just dish out individual portions on the side tables, rather than to place the dish in the middle for us to freely pick at (and hence, I only got to photo my individual portions).

The first course was suckling pig with jellyfish. Some people on the table complained that the crackling was cold and no longer crisp. They might be expecting too much~ Needing to roast 24 little piggies right before it's served is impossible (I think) and hence, understandable that the pig has been out for a while. Nonetheless, my two pieces of fatty crackling was still crunchy and crisp and the meaty bits weren't the most tender, yet, wasn't too tough. The jellyfish was yummy!

Suckling pig and jellyfish

Next dish was of a deep-fried seafood pocket variety. Served with mayo, there was scallop, prawns, and veges (eg. celery) inside. I was amazed that my seafood pockets were still warm. For needing to serve around 300 people, for this to be warm was amazingness (thought I). Tastewise though... hmm... really needed the mayo here.

Seafood pockets

The next course was dried scallops with lettuce and "fat choi" (which according to my partner, is moss that grows next to a tree - I think that it's a type of vege) doused with oyster sauce. I had to rearrange this heaps before it looked good enough for the photo but looks aside, it actually tasted alright. Not being a fan of steamed dried scallops, I off-loaded one of them to my partner. But the remaining one was nice and soft, and the vege variety was nicely immersed in sauce. So not bad.

Steamed dried scallop with veges

Shark fin soup came next. This always tastes nice with a good dallop of vinegar. My partner destroyed his soup by adding half a jar of pepper - he makes it into the hot and sour soup variety LOL.

Shark fin soup

Then came lobster in uneven portions. Some lucky people, like myself, got lotsa lotsa meat (5 huge pieces) whereas unlucky people got lots of lobster legs. Lobster was tasty and slightly too floured up. But, no major complaints from me except that normally, I like the noodles sitting under the lobster and there were no noodles in sight :(

Lobster

The next course was abalone with chinese mushrooms and peas. Very sauced up and very tender, it just could not have been live abalone. As such, I actually enjoyed my piece~ The sauce - tasted like the oyster sauce again.

Abalone with Chinese mushroom and peas

Big fish came out next. My portion was slightly overcooked and slightly rubbery and a lot less soy sauced than is necessary. I stole my partner's fish - and his was quite nice and soft and yummy. So, I guess it depended on luck~

Fish

By the fish, alot of people were full already, so the quality of the chicken didn't matter too much. I did taste it, for the sake of seeing how it was, and yeh, there is a reason why they make you full on the previous dishes!

(no longer crispy-skinned) Chicken

Noodles and rice came out next. The rice was wrapped in lotus leaf thing - I didn't eat it though, but it couldn't have been bad. It is just rice after all. I did, however, eat the noodles (cos I really really like noodles and couldn't resist) and I thought they were nice and soft~ (just the way my partner doesn't like it)

Noodles

Rice

Dessert was cake and cookies and fruit. The cake and cookies didn't look too appetising, but the watermelon was awesome!

Cake and Cookies

Fruit Platter

Overall, the food was average and even better than I had expected. They had a huge crowd to cater for and I guess they did a pretty good job in that there were no complaints. The atmosphere, well, we make the atmosphere at weddings, not the restaurant - and we were quite awesome~ LOL Service was decent too, the waiters didn't say much but they were responsive in refilling out drinks.

Ratings:
Food - 6.5
Service - 6
Ambiance - 7
Value for money - ??
Overall - 19.5 + ??

Kam Fook Seafood Restaurant
Shop 600, Level 6,
Westfield Shoppingtown,
28 Victor Street,
Chatswood
Tel: (02) 9413 9388

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

Sahara - Parramatta

For a nice, relaxing catch-up, my friends and I headed for dinner at Sahara.

When we got there (around 7.30pm on a Friday night), the store was still pretty empty. And so, we were quickly whisked to a nice quiet table near the back of the store.

Drinks were ordered, and my friends and I decided to just order a few dishes to share.

Wedges were ordered for an entree (~$8... I don't remember exactly >.<). These came out fresh and hot (almost burning), and were crisp on the outside, potato fluffiness on the inside.

Wedges with Sour Cream and Sweet Chilli Sauce - ~$8

We also decided on two Pides and one Shish. There was the Bodrum Pide ($18.50), which was stuffed with grilled chicken, mushroom, and mozzarella cheese. Again, these came out nice and hot and crunchy. It was also nice how the restaurant did not jip us of the filling :)

Bodrum Pide - $18.50

The other was the Aegean Pide ($17.50) which was stuffed with baby spinach, feta and mozzarella cheese. Mmm... Soooo yummmy and tastey even though it was meatless. in my opinion, it was even tastier than the Bodrum.

Aegean Pide - $17.50

And even yummier was the Tavuk Shish ($21.90). The garlic and herb marinated chargrilled boneless chicken pieces were sooooo delish! especially when eaten with the bread and soaked in aioli. :) I'm not a fan of pilaf rice, but my friends were saying how they couldn't stop eating it, even when they were completely stuffed.

Tavuk Shish - $21.90

Although the waitress tried her best to convince us about dessert, we were all too full to fit anything else in.

In all, the service was average and the ambiance was chat-friendly.
I'd definitely come back for the chargrilled chicken drenched in aioli - or maybe I just miss the herbed mayo from Grill'd too much! :P

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

Sahara Turkish Restaurant
Westfield's Parramatta
Shop 2185
Cnr Church & Argyle Street
Parramatta, 2150
Tel: (02) 9687 7898

International Cakes - Melbourne

International Cakes

After a nice relaxing dinner at home, the only way I could prevent my partner from sleeping was to drag him out for a walk (ie. to hunt for dessert).

After walking past the first cake and coffee hang out and not feeling hungry, by the next decent one (which was many many minutes away) the summer chilliness of Melbourne hit me, and we just had to go in and eat. Well, after checking out the window displays ofcourse!

A huge range of cakes and sweets!

I opted for a chocolate pistachio baklava (which I swear, wasn't this huge in the window!!!). This was a GIANT baklava, around 25 cm in length, covered in chocolate. Baklavas, being usually sickening yet yummily sweet in by itself, smothered in chocolate... woah - ultimate sugar hit. You can't blame me for not being able to finish this (I got half way then gave up)!

Giant Pistachio Baklava

My partner went for the tiramisu. Compared to my baklava, this was a lot less sweet. But also compared to the tiramisu's I make at home, this was a lot less coffee-tasting and a lot more sponge-cake like. This, however, is much to my partner's liking, and he happily gobbled it all down :)

Tiramisu

All up, the two sweets cost around $14. The place felt nice and homey. And although it did not have the best looking cakes and sweets in Melbourne, they give off a traditional cake store vibe.

Ratings:
Food - 6.5/10
Service - 6/10
Ambiance - 7/10
Value for money - 6/10
Overall - 25.5/40

International Cakes
185 Lonsdale St
Melbourne, 3000
Tel: (03) 9663 2092