Tingha Palace - Parramatta

Tingha Palace

One early Saturday morning, my parents and I decided to have yum-cha, which is something we hadn't done in a while. It was quite early (around 10.30am) when we got to Tingha Palace which was an added bonus for us - as it was nice and quiet, you don't have to wait for a table, and all the food comes out steamingly hot and fresh!

I was craving for siu mai (pork and prawn dumplings) and these little things certainly satisfied my cravings. If you notice that my photos are a bit blurry, it is most probably because there was soooo much steam coming from the dim sims (as they were ridiculously hot and fresh)... (and partly because I'm not a good photographer) LOL. I guess I couldn't sacrifice hot fresh dim sims and wait for them to cool so that I could get my photo... eating them seemed more important!

Pork and prawn dumplings

This was veges and prawn dumplings - again, they were steaming hot and fresh. Sooooo deliciousness!

Prawn and vege dumplings

These four golden brown things are savoury deep fried dumplings type thing. Inside is mince and some veges. And honestly? These have to be the best of the kind - but again, I think that that's because it was so fresh! the outer layer was soooo crisp and cruchy and the floury thing was nice and chewy (but not overly so) and the whole thing was just soo sooooo fresh!!! It simply blew me away! (especially since I'm not usually a fan of these)

Deep fried savoury dumplings

My dad's favourites - barbeque pork buns. Again, they were super fresh! But I guess since bun's don't taste too different being super fresh v 20 mins fresh, they were similar to the normal variety you can get at most yum cha places.

Barbeque pork buns

Mum's beef tendons - again steaming hot. And there were just so many many of them! Definately getting money's worth of these. I like how these were not too overly flavoursome and yet, were not bland either. They were chewy yet not tough.

Steamed beef tendons

Sweet Chinese Donuts - these were MASSIVE and straight from the deep frier. It was crisp, it was hot, it was plain and yet not plain, it was really nice! (again, it's not a thing I usually enjoy eating but this one... oh my, it was soo nice!) I think if there's anything I picked up from this experience... it's that yumcha tastes all that much better when the food is fresh. So maybe it is worth the sacrifice of waking up just that little earlier if it means getting super super fresh and steamingly hot dim sims!

Deep fried sweet chinese donut

All up, the service was nice and friendly, and it wasn't too pricey. I think for the three of us, it cost $30 ish... (dad footed the bill - so I'm not sure of the price).

Ratings:
Food - 9/10 (but may be because everything was super fresh)
Service - 7/10
Ambiance - 7/10
Value for money - 7/10
Overall - 30/40

Tingha Palace
Parramatta Leagues Club
13-15 O’Connell Street
Parramatta
NSW 2150
Tel: (02) 9890 1688

Masuya - Sydney

I have been complaining to my partner for quite a while now about why we haven't returned to some of our "regular" restaurants since the start of this blog. The thing is, there used to be a ton of restaurants we used to frequent, and yet, we've not had any chance of talking about these places!

After a lot of wingeing, my partner decided to book in Masuya, a Japanese restaurant we used to eat at for it's awesomeness soy-milk hot pot during the cold winter months.

Masuya Japanese seafood restaurant

Busy on a Saturday night as expected, the waiters and waitresses whisked us to our tables. Service after that was a little forgetful, not 100% attentive, but eventually gets what you want them to get.

Green Tea

Masuya Mojito

This particular night, we decided to order the Masuya Salmon Salad ($12.80). This comprised of marinated salmon, onion, creamy blue cheese, onion, and greens served with a rice vinigarette dressing.

Masuya's Salmon Salad - $12.80

I believe that this was my first time to see brocoli in salad - and there must be a reason for that! (brocoli in salad is just weird). On my first attempt at this salad, I wrapped a piece of salmon in a large green leaf and drenched it in the vinigarette. It was quite nice. Then I tried it with both the salmon and the blue cheese in a large leaf, again drenched with the dressing. It was heavenly! The cheese just adds that extra element to make this salad simply sublime~

Sushi and Sashimi - $29.80

After a long debate over several tasty-looking items on the menu, we also ordered the sushi and sashimi ($29.80). This comprised of four kinds of sashimi (salmon, king fish, tuna and scallop), and assorted sushis (sushi, salmon, tuna, king prawn and spider sushi roll). This dish was similar to any other sushi/sashimi set you can get at any other jap restaurants. The sashimi was fresh, but not spectacularly fresh, the sushis were also alrite - but again, not spectacular. Just very average, very normal, very expected.

Ooo... and the soy sauce on the left was for sashimi, the soy sauce on the right was for sushi. What's the difference? I guess one soy sauce was stronger than the other. The sauce for sashimi seemed less potent. I think...they were quite similar.

And now for the long awaited Sapporo hot pot ($45 - 2 person). As evidence of how long we haven't been here, this hotpot has changed. Whilst the soup base remained awesomenessly good - there is even a subtle difference. It is now comprised of soy milk and sweet miso, whereas before, it was soy milk, chilli and dashi. As a non-chilli eater, I was cheering for the change. They do, to compensate, provide a good side plate of chopped chilli, corianda and garlic (for those craving for the extra flavour). The more noticeable difference in this dish is that now they put all the ingredients in the pot at the beginning (exception beting the oysters). Before, all ingredients were on a plate and you could put them in when you want (like a normal hot pot). But because of the new design (everything in the pot at once), there is a very noticeable disadvantage - everything is cooked at once! and amazingly, you can't everything at once!!! The end result is that some items become dissappointly overcooked >.<

Sapporo hot pot (pre lid lifting) - $45

Oysters

This new invention also means that there is less food - there used to be more veges and udon. Now they cut down on the veges and udon becomes non-existent. Nonetheless, the soup is still awesome, the salmon and the chicken are likewise awesome. I love whatever vege they have in it. And my partner and I have mixed opinions on the blue swimmer crab. I believe that the crab meat is super soft and soaks in the soup. My partner will prefer a crab-less hot pot, partly due to laziness and partly because he does not appreciate the mushy texture of the crab. The scallops are unfortunately, yet expectedly, overcooked and no longer a highlight. However, because you get to cook the oysters yourself - oysters are still supberb. What else is in this hot pot? I think I just left out the fish balls - and these were quite average I thought.

By the end of all this food, my partner and I had no stomach left for dessert. Whilst a little disappointed at the change in the layout of the hotpot, my partner and I still left satisfied and Masuya stays on our list of decent Japanese restaurants.

Ratings:

Food - 8.5/10
Service - 6.5/10
Ambiance - 8/10
Value for money - 7/10
Overall - 30/40

Masuya Japanese Seafood Restaurant
Basement Level,
12-14 O'Connell Street
Sydney 2000
tel: (02) 9235-2717

Katsura - Neutral Bay

Katsura - japanese hall

Not having enjoyed Japanese for a long long while, dinner was booked at the Japanese restaurant - Katsura. Being super hungry after work/uni, my partner and I ordered many many dishes. One down side (or upside) of this restaurant was they bought out our dishes one by one. Maybe that's so that we can enjoy each dish in its entirety. However, it also meant that people like me who like to jump from flavour to flavour cannot be completely appeased nor could I be swept away by a table-full of food. Also, it means that you and your dinner partner need to have good conversational skills, otherwise, it will be a long boring dinner~

The first dish that arrived for the night was the seaweed salad ($9.50). The crisp greens and yummy seaweed was drenched (but not overly drenched) in a vinegary sauce (not unlike the vinegar which put into sushi rice).

Seaweed salad - $9.50

After the healthy appetiser, along came the unhealthy deep-fried dish. The soft-shell crab kara-age ($12.50) was unexpectingly good. The aroma of this dish was crying out "eat me! eat me!" and with just the first bite, I knew that the delicious scent was not trying to deceive me. The legs were light and crunchy and the meat was juicy and super tastey! It was like a combination of crispyness with juicy tenderness! Mmm... I could definately eat more of this.

Soft shell crab kara-age - $12.50

A dish which blew me away even more was the Grilled Cream Oysters ($16 for half a dozen). Whist no aroma's wafted from this dish, it was so amazingly good! Carrot and white radish ribbons were embedded below the cream chese, providing a contrasting yet complementary texture to the smooth and slimyness of the oysters (which were cooked - not overcooked). The flying fish roe on top accentuated the flavours of the cheese and oysters. Yummm! I could have this everyday!

Super delicious grilled cream oysters - $16

The oysters deserved a close-up

Being a cold night, I also got the miso soup ($2.50). The miso soup here was nice - but like any other.

Miso Soup - $2.50

Then came the Tokujyo Yaki Wagyu ($36). This was beef with a super marbled score of 9+. I have to admit, my first bite of this was met with disappointment. The outer layer (the cooked bit) was rough whilst the middle (raw bits) were smooth, creating an interesting, but not entirely enjoyable feeling in my mouth. However, the sauce (soy + sugar + mirin) is awesomeness. The second thought which came to mind was that I was being unreasonable and comparing it to Kobe and Matsuzaka beef we had in Japan (which is a superior grade beef for a sky-high price). So with that in mind, I thoroughly enjoyed my next slice of Wagyu. It was definately a lot more tender, rich and flavoursome compared to your average steak.

Wagyu beef (marble score 9+) - $36

Feeling still kind of hungry by this stage (and with just one more dish to come) my partner and I decided to order a hand roll each. As I was facing the sushi chef all throughout dinner, I saw him "play" (yes - literally play) with our food. He wrapped, unwrapped, re-wrapped, and wrapped the seaweed on this handroll repeatedly! omigosh ~ why would he do that??? When the hand roll arrived at out table, the mystery was solved. The holes for the hand-roll holder was TINY - there is no way the hand-rolls would fit in unless they too, were tiny. And hence, the hand roll was quite disproportionally tiny and squashed at the bottom (not that the hand roll itself was big). The salmon and avocado hand roll ($5) was good ish. No soy sauce was provided (wierd). The avocado was nicely ripe, the salmon however, was a bit chewy. The rice was deliciously and almost perfectly vingared. And the seaweed? Yes, it was definately tough and chewy (the chef did play with it for prolonged periods of time). No complaints on the unagi hand roll ($6) from my partner apart from the obvious seaweed issue.

Handrolls - $5-6

And... by the time we finished our hand-rolls, we felt the food slowly creep up on our stomachs. We did, however, still manage to finish off our last dish for the night - the seafood butter yaki ($13) which is assorted seafood pan-grilled with a soy and butter sauce. Mmm... buttery... The seafood was fresh and the butter aroma was satisfying.

Butter seafood yaki - $13

Overall, the food was good - a bit slow in coming out - but good nonetheless. The waitresses always addressed us politely with Jap-accented English. The restaurant is split into the Yakiniku (BBQ) side and the Japanese hall. Our side of the restaurant was peaceful and quiet - perfect for a chill-out dinner.

Ratings:
Food - 8.5/10
Service - 8/10
Ambiance - 8/10
Value for money - 7.5/10
Overall - 32/40

Katsura Japanese Restaurant
11/129-133 Military Road
Neutral Bay
NSW, 2089
tel: (02) 9904 5755

Norwest Fresh Seafood - Norwest

Norwest Fresh Seafood

After last weeks fish and chips overload in Wollongong, I felt as though what I truelly miss is the local fish and chips shop - which appears much healthier (as the fish is grilled instead of deep fried) and just as yumminess (if not more so). What's also awesome about this place is that they put vinegar on your chips (upon request) and allow you to swap normal ceasar/greek/green salad with awesomeness seafood salad!

Perch Chips and Salad - $10.90 (+ $1 for seafood salad)

With nice and cheap fish, chips and salad packs (ranging from $8.90 - $12.90 depending on the fish type) it is the filling and economical option for lunch. My favourite fish at this shop tends to be the perch - which is thick, juicy and tender. The meat just falls from the fillet, onto my spork, and into my mouth - yumm.

Sea Perch

And the seafood salad? Yumminess! The seafood extenders are tastey and the prawns and fresh. And it's all mixed with mayo and seafood sauce. Mmm...

Seafood Salad

So overall - apart from Maccas and KFC, this place has to be one of the yummiest local takeaway shops.

Ratings:
Food - 8.5/10
Service - 7/10
Ambiance - 6/10 (it's takeaway!!!)
Value for money - 8.5/10
Overall - 30/40

Norwest Fresh Seafoods
T30a Norwest Marketown
4-6 Century Circuit
Baulkham Hills
NSW, 2153
Tel: (02) 8850 4588

Won Jo Korean Restaurant - Strathfield

Won Jo Korean Restaurant

An unexpected visit to a Korean restaurant in Strathfield means that my photos are going to be quite shoddy (as they are taken with my phone). That, however, does not mean that the food was shoddy.

Array of appetisers and sauces

To start off with, my friends and I were quite hesistent when entering a Korean restaurant as none of us were Korean (and Korean restaurants tend to rip off non-Koreans). Nonetheless, these owners were nice enough to provide us with the yummy appetisers despite us not being Korean. Particularly, I love the seaweed salad ... mmm... mildly chilli, seaweedy and delicious! The others are just kind of average ish.

kimchi fried rice - $12

Kind of ugly in appearance, the Kimchi fried rice ($12) was a scary-looking shade of redness. However, to my surprise, it wasn't too chilli and was mild enough for even me the tolerate~! I have to admit, however, that it wasn't the best tasting fried rice I've had. They put in all these little seafood prawns and oysters (which seemed to be of the tiny frozen variety and not seafood tasting at all) and the egg is all spoilt >.< As it was my first experience of Kimchi fried rice, I can only assume that the weird aftertaste in my mouth is only normal... ?

fried dumplings - $10

We ordered 2 platefuls of dumplings. The dumplings were crispy skinned and super super crunch. Each little crunchy crispy little pocket was filled with veges, vermecilli and tasted really quite deliciousness. The only downside to this tastey treat is the oily-ness factor of this dish.

fried chicken - $18

Another yummy yet unhealthy dish is the fried chicken ($18). Super crunchy and goldenly deep fried, the chicken inside was still tastey, tender and juicy. Mmm... adds to the fat around my stomach. hehehehe

beef rib soup - $14

We also ordered the beef rib soup ($14). The soup was very rich and flavoursome and slightly on the salty side. In it, there were beef ribs (which appeared super tender), and yummy potato noodles. Some of my friends put rice in the soup, which they claimed to unsaltiness the soup - but the thought of soggy rice did not appeal to me. Apparently, this soup is something people should drink when they're sick because it makes them feel all warm and comforted inside :)

raw fresh meat bimbimbab - $13

When this dish first came out, I was a bit surprised (or shocked) because the raw beef had this white frosting on it (as if it came fresh from the freezer). Expected it to be slightly rock hard, it was surprisingly tender, chewy and okay-tasting. Mixed bimbimbab it's still a nice shade of red and again, luckily - not too chilli (and able to be eaten by me).

sweet potato noodles with veges - Medium $20

Of super yumminess, yet nothing special in presentation, was the sweet potato noodles with vegetables (Medium $20). The potato noodles were immersed within the sweetness (yet not too sweet) liquidy-thick sauce. The veges were also super-flavoursome as a result. I could eat this by the plate-fuls!

The service here was not too attentive - I'm going to put it down to us being non-Korean. However, they gave us sauce when we wanted sauce, they gave us bowls (20 mins later) when we asked for bowls, they gave us water when we asked for water... what else can we ask for?

Ratings:
Food - 7.5/10
Service - 6.5/10
Ambiance - 7/10
Value for money - 7/10
Overall - 28.5/40

Won Jo Korean Restaurant
33 The Boulevarde
Strathfield
NSW, 2135
tel: (02) 9746 7041

Diggies - Wollongong

Diggies

Exploring Wollongong beaches on a cloudy day - I figured that Sydney actually has some pretty good beaches.

We were checking out the menus of different places - and we stopped here, at Diggies, because I eyed one of the juices on the menu. This was the "Byron" ($6) - which essentially was pinapple, apple and ginger juice. My partner ordered this juice and it tasted very pineapple-y (to my partner) and also very gingery (to me). Not bad - maybe needed to be a touch colder.

The Byron - $6

I wasn't hungry on this particular day (due to a heavy breakfast) and opted for an ice-cold "Georgiacino" ($6) - an ice-coffee frappe. Mmm... very coffee-ish, reminiscent of StarBucks (which I do miss).

Georgiacino - $6

I also managed to sneak some of my partner's meal in my stomach. Interestingly (and against my will), my partner really wanted the classic fish 'n' chips ($18.50). I tried to direct him towards the yummy-looking all-day breakfast menus, but the boy wouldn't budge. So grenadier fillet deep fried in super crisp (and I mean super super crisp) batter with salad and chips it was~

It wasn't bad tasting - quite super super thick and crisp batter on the fish. The chips weren't as nice as LeVendi - but okay nonetheless.

Fish 'n' Chips - $18.50

Service was... hmm... somewhat lacking - but they came upon request. Situated beach-side, this cafe was definately a chillaxy.

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

Diggies
1 Cliff Road
North Beach
Wollongong
NSW, 2500
tel: (02) 4226 2688

LeVendi - Wollongong

LeVendi

Treking down to Wollongong on Easter Sunday, my partner and I were cruising around looking for a nice cafe to lunch at. However, we didn't drive much further than LeVendi - we saw the crowds and decided that that was the place to be.

It was already around 1-2pm and it felt as if all of Wollongong was down at this small ish takeaway fish and chips joint.

A long look at the whiteboard menu and a long discussion after, my partner and I decided on the Habour Pack ($22.50). This pack had like... everything!!! 2 flathead portions (which ended up being 4), 2 prawn twisters, 4 squid tentacles, 2 salt & pepper squid, 2 crumbed scallops, 2 crab ragoons, all with large chips, lemon and tartare sauce. Seemed like a feast! (and it really was!)

The wait aside (around 20 mins), this feast was nicely tastey and super filling - and, as expected, we didn't finish it. But it sure did explain why this place was flocked with people - in fact, it seems that this place won the 2008 takeaway joint of the year (for Wollongong).

The Harbour Pack - $22.50

Ratings
food - 8/10
service - 6/10 (a bit on the slow side... but they were super packed)
ambiance - 8/10 (ahh... beachside takeaway)
value for money - 7/10
overall - 29/40

LeVendi
Belmore Basin
Cliff Road
Wollongong
NSW 2500
tel: (02) 4227 2989