The Bulgogi - Chatswood

A while back now, hubby and I went to this Korean/Jap restaurant in Chatswood - The Bulgogi. It houses a-la-carte as well as all-you-can-eat options. Knowing our massive stomachs, we went for the buffet. There's a range of small instant eats, sashimi, salads, as well as meats and seafoods to cook on the grill. There are 3 buffet options - the standard, the premium (which has sashimi), and super premium (which has wagyu beef). On this night, we went for the mid-range one. We completely feasted and were completely stuffed after. Amazingly, although the service was a bit slow, all the food was super delicious and quite fresh. Not a bad buffet at all!

pork ribs

ox tongue

seaweed salad and soft shell crab salad

beef rib

salmon, tuna and king fish sashimi

kimchi

beef skirt and squid

squid sashimi

beef galbi and beef yukke

salmon and avocado salad

takoyaki

crab nugget

beef on the grill

prawns on the grill

green tea, black sesame and vanilla icecream

I have to say - it was all deliciousness! When I'm up for another crazy feed, I will be back!

Ratings:
Food - 8/10
Service - 6/10
Ambiance - 7/10
Value for money - 7/10
Overall - 28/40

The Bulgogi
380 Victoria Road
Chatswood
NSW 2067
Tel: (02) 9410 3900

Zen Oasis - Berrima

Vegetarian buffet? Say WHAT?
The news did not go down very well for my meat-eating hubby when my parents had wanted us to accompany them to Zen Oasis - a vegetarian buffet in the countryside. We had braced ourselves for the worst but were pleasantly surprised by the lovely peaceful vibe the place exuded.

Opening only on Saturdays and Sundays for lunch (and you NEED to book), there was a bit of a crowd waiting for the restaurant to open at 11.30am. I for one, was pleasantly surprised at the huge array of food. The waitress politely emphasised the 'only get what you eat' policy which I thought was fair enough, and funnily enough, I think that all patrons respected that.

There was a bar for entree foods - all yummy, bettered and deep fried. My favourite was probably this seaweed mushroom ball (a button mushroom wrapped in crispy seaweed then gently golden-brownly deep fried), and their crispy seaweed crackers which was sweet, sesame seed coated, and very addictive. Other entrees on offer included the curry puffs, spring rolls, deep fried taro ball, a pastry thing and banana fritters. I tried everything (minus the banana) and was happy to go for seconds.

The middle section housed the mains. Encased around the three walls of mains was a little asian man making vegetarian sushi. His sushi was really fresh-tasting and delish! Loved it - and ate loads of sushi LOL. There were also some imitation meats (e.g. imitation prawns, beef, pork cutlet) all made from ingredients such as tofu, eggplant and mushrooms. Dumplings and fried rice was also available.

There was also a salad bar and a lovely tofu/mushroomy asian soup. Next to all this was a quaint little tea section - green tea (with some floral scent), milk tea (with matcha powder), gow gee tea, and some other floral one.

Last but not least - dessert time! There was a good selection of asian cakes, mochi, jellies and fruit. My favourite of the lot was probably the tiramisu. Definitely some hits and misses on the dessert table :P

I believe that it was an interesting experience. Personally, I wouldn't say no to a revisit but it is a bit out of the way and hubby did find himself longing for meat after the meal.

Ratings:
Food - 7.5/10
Service - 7/10
Ambiance - 7/10
Value for money - 7.5/10
Overall - 29/40

Zen Oasis
230 Medway Road
Berrima
NSW 2577

Tel: (02) 4877 1285

Sofitel Club Lounge - Brisbane

I got a good deal for a Sofitel Club room in Brisbane. Being allowed club lounge access, we had to take care of the benefits - free canapes before dinner, free brekky the next morning, along with free wifi, and entertainment facilities in the lounge.

When at the canapes, we saw a good selection of finger foods. Sure, it wasn't overlly luxurious foods, but it was tasty ish anyway. Particularly, my hubby loved the selection of dips and antipasti options. The hot food available isn't the best in quality... but it was still edible and people around us were piling it up by the plateful. I think some were even there to become full enough to not require dinner after LOL


Breakfast at the club lounge was likewise impressive. There was a decent selection of hot food, breads and pastries, fruit and yoghurt. In addition to all the yummy foods, being a weekend, there was also unlimited champagne (for anyone who could stomach it early in the morning). I loved the creamed eggs and the unlimited availability of smoked salmon... and the pastries were fresh and delicious :) Hubby seemed to appreciate yoghurt more than anything.

Overall, we appreciated the luxuries of the club lounge. Although there had been talk over the net about how the lounge had decreased in quality, I think that it was still good enough :)

Ratings:
Food - 7.5/10
Service - 7.5/10
Ambiance- 7.5/10
Value for money - 7.5/10
Overall - 30/40

Sofitel Club Lounge
249 Turbot Street
Brisbane, QLD 4000
Tel: (07) 3835 3535

Kansai (2) - Sydney

I wasn't hungry. I just wanted to eat... and eat a lot. Hence, when my partner asked me where I wanted to go, Kansai popped in my mind. $38 all you can eat - why not? A small yet decent range of Jap food can be ordered - hot, cold, deep-fried, raw. Only bad thing is the lack of desserts.

Anyway - for this night, this was our selection... Sashimi boat (x2 :P) came with many pieces of salmon, kingfish and tuna. Don't expect top-notch sashimi (it is unlimited afterall). The salmon and the kingfish were far better tasting compared to the tuna.

sashimi boat

Teriyaki chicken skewer... average ish. Can't really go too wrong with sauced up marinated chicken :)

teriyaki chicken skewer

A selection of sushi nigiri were ordered. Scallop was upon my favourite. It wasn't super huge - but it was sweet enough. The scampi was also quite yummy and delightful. The salmon roe ship was OK but the the eel were a little dismal looking... Sushi roll-wise, I opted for half a portion of the rainbow roll. This was quite yummy. Just your average california roll with a slab of sashimi on top. Presentation was a bit poor though LOL.

sushi

Edamame beans were served by the bowlful. Warm and appetising.

edamame

The soft shell crab hand roll came with soooo much rice. I don't think I've ever seen such a plump handroll! Nonetheless, the softshell crab itself wasn't bad.

soft shell crab hand roll

Gyoza and sashimi salad (both in smalled portions) were also opted for. Again, average tasting.

gyoza

sashimi salad

The chefs at Kansai spoke Korean... so you're essentially looking at Korean-made Japanese food. It's not the best tasting Jap food - but it's not a bad restaurant to opt for when all you want is cheap food - and lots of it! Kansai also offers al-la-carte... but if you're going al-la-carte, there are plenty of better Jap restaurants you can choose from.

Ratings:
Food - 6.5/10
Service - 6.5/10
Ambiance - 6.5/10
Value for money - 8/10
Overall - 27.5/40

Kansai Japanese Restaurant
B1/7-13 Hunter Street
Sydney
NSW 2000
Tel: (02) 9231 5544