YAY: Kepos Street Kitchen

Chicken and Beef (Background) Burgers

Keen to meet up with my friend, we decided to head to Kepos St Kitchen in Redfern. Located on a street corner and surrounded by terraces, this cafe is the epitome of cool. There was a short wait for a table, given the small size of the cafe, but it was completely worth it.

The interior was very quaint and cool. O ordered the Wagyu Beef Burger while I ordered the Southern Fried Chicken Sandwich, but we ultimately opted to share. Both were served with chips. The chicken sandwich (which is in fact a burger) was absolutely delicious. I've had bad experiences with chicken burgers, but this was a clear winner! The coleslaw and chermoula mayo was absolutely divine, complimenting the tasty chicken wonderfully. Likewise, the beef burger was scrumptious, with the harissa sauce giving it a fiery Middle-Eastern kick. The accompanying chips were tasty, especially with their aioli. The coffee was great and the service was superb. Probably the best cafe I have been to so far.


Food: 10/10
Service: 10/10
Ambience: 9/10
Details:

YAY: Manchester Press

Cold Brew

Cappuccino

Melbourne is a city full of surprises, filled with quaint shops, great architecture and amazing food. Manchester Press is located in Rankins Lane. I was filled with anticipation as we made our way through the laneway, with the amount of hipsters lurking in the alleyway suggesting that this was the place to be!

The interior of the cafe was absolutely wonderful, oozing that industrial feel. Our table's centerpiece was cold brew coffee  dripping away, reminiscent of a science lab. The key specialty of Manchester Press is the bagel. I ordered the pulled pork bagel, which was absolutely divine. The slaw complimented the tender and juicy pork. Melbourne is famous for its coffee, and the coffee here was nothing short of superb. Service was on point!

Pulled Pork Bagel

Food: 9/10
Ambience: 9/10
Service: 9/10
Details:

YAY: Industry Beans

Cool interior!!

After a long stroll through the very cool Brunswick Street in Fitzroy, we decided to have a coffee break. We made our way down Rose St, and it took quite a while to locate this place. Its location next to Crossfit was perhaps a suggestion of where I should have headed after our little indulgence.

Yes, this is from Snapchat!

Sticky Rice Cakes

Situated in a little warehouse, this place oozes the Melbourne vibe. We were given a coffee menu, listing all the different blends we could have tried. H and I both opted for the Fitzroy Street Blend, with H getting a latte while I got a cappuccino. The coffee, I must admit, was the best I ever had. As I become increasingly addicted to coffee, I have developed the ability to differentiate the taste of coffee.  This blend was far superior to any I have previously tried. It had this slight bitterness which was replaced by a sort of sweetness which I found to be very pleasant. This was truly a great coffee moment, and Industry Beans definitely deserves its recognition for its great coffee. We also ordered the Sticky Rice Cakes. This definitely had a very Vietnamese taste which I am very familiar with. The rice cakes were crispy and delicious, especially with the papaya, carrot and sweet and sour dressing. A small regret would be that the strong flavours detracted slightly from my coffee experience, where I found myself having to drink a whole glass of water before I went back to my cappuccino!

The staff also deserve a huge thumbs up, as they were very helpful in informing us about the different blends of coffee and what it would suit. Like Bowery to Williamsburg, I will surely return to this place, as I will, without a doubt, be returning to the streets of Fitzroy!

Food: 9/10
Service: 9/10
Ambience: 9/10
Details:
 

YAY: Bowery to Williamsburg

Los Pollos

Wagyu Burger

Visiting Marvellous Melbourne was very exciting for me. The food is a whole different level to Sydney. Bowery to Williamsburg, as the name implies, has an American theme. The cafe is nestled in Oliver Lane (very Melbourne indeed) and is modelled like a New York subway station. A cool setting is coupled with excellent food. I had the Los Pollos sandwich, which was simply magnificent. The chicken was absolutely tender, the salsa was tasty, and the sauce tied in the whole sandwich wonderfully. H had a the Wagyu Burger, which was divine. This was a very clever reinvention of the classic cheeseburger, emanating a very familiar yet refined taste. Service was also a huge plus!! Will definitely return the next time I am in Melbourne!

Food: 8/10

Service: 8/10

Ambience: 9/10 

Details: 

NAY: Colonel Tan's

After a long day exploring Melbourne, we headed off to Prahran for dinner. Located on the very fashionable Chapel Street, the restaurant may be difficult for some to locate. It is located in Revolver Upstairs, which can be accessed by a narrow set of stairs from Chapel St.

Bangkok Bolognese

 The restaurant had very cool interiors, with the exposed brick and the mismatch of colours giving it a very authentic and pleasant feel. To start we had the Pork Sausages. They were absolutely delicious, perhaps the best I've had. Things started to go downhill from there. Having heard so much praise for the Bangkok Bolognese, we decided to give it a go. The first bite was amazing. It was extremely reminiscent of spaghetti bolognese, but with a Thai twist. However, every bite after became increasingly difficult, given the amount of chilli present. The waiter did, however, warn us previously that this was a spicy dish, telling us that we would receive a milder version. If the mild version of the dish was that spicy, the normal version must be spicy to death. The Tumeric Chicken Stir Fry was average, perhaps because my palate was washed away by the spiciness of the Bolognese!

Pork Sausages

Tumeric Chicken

To be fair though, this was simply a matter of personal preference. Individuals who can deal with a very high level of heat would definitely love the Bangkok Bolognese. However, personally, the wonderful flavours of the dish were masked by the extreme level of heat, which I thought was unnecessary. In the end, had we chosen other dishes, our experience would have been completely different, as I knew just how good this place actually was. The service was great.







Food: 6/10
Service: 8/10
Ambience: 8/10
Details:

YAY: Kuki Tanuki

Buta Pork Ribs

Eggplant

Tanuki!!

As a tradition, we would go out to eat after completing examinations. Usually, the car trip to and from the venue has been more memorable than the actual dining experience. Kuki Tanuki is a Japanese sake and tapas bar which stands proud in the very cool Erskineville village.

To start, we had the Nasu Dengaku which was deep fried eggplant with a miso paste. It was very delicious, with crispy outsides and
a lovely flavour. The Market Fresh Sashimi was next. This was fairly good, comparable to your standard sashimi. This was followed by the Agedashi Tofu, one of my favourite Japanese dishes. The broth had a very nice taste, where the saltiness was on point. There were no bonito flakes like a normal agedashi tofu, but that didn't compromise on taste. Our next dish was the Tasmanian Roll, which was flame grilled salmon with avocado, cucumber, mayo and a sweet soy reduction. This was by far my favourite dish of the evening. The crispy topping, the melt in your mouth salmon and the sweet soy reduction created a very memorable taste. The Pork Gyoza Dumplings were as a good as they could be. There were perhaps better options to choose from than these but it was nonetheless tasty. The Wakame Salad was tasty. Kev complimented the dressing while I found the silken tofu to be the hero of the dish. The Caterpillar Roll was a vegetarian sushi which had tempura pumpkin and avocado. I was surprised when I took my first bite into the crunchy tempura pumpkin, and overall, the dish was fairly yummy. We then had the Chicken Nanban bites, one of my favourite dishes of the night. Biting into them, you are hit with a saltiness which is replaced with sweetness and finally, sourness. It was karage chicken taken to a whole new level! Finally, we had the Tender Buta Pork Ribs. This was a taste familiar to all of us. The pork was very tender and worked well with the sweetness and saltiness of the teriyaki sauce.

Tasmanian Roll

Chicken Nanban

In all, a very pleasant experience. The interiors were cool and the service was generally good. There was a short delay for our ribs, but verall, staff were attentive and pleasant. Oh, and the drinks aren't too bad either :)
More pictures below!

Food: 8/10

Service: 8/10

Ambience: 8/10
Details: 

Wakame Salad

Caterpillar Roll

Pork Gyoza

Agedashi Tofu

Sashimi

YAY: Brewtown Newtown

Elvis Burger

Cappuccino

Upon finishing our final exams, Fi and I were dying to try this place out. They are known for their cronuts (croissant and doughnut), or as they call them, the "brewnut". Brewtown is located on O'Connell St, hidden away from the bustling King St.

Glazed Cronut

The interiors were very cool, had a very Newtown-y feel. Service was very attentive and excellent. I got a cappuccino, and it tasted great. But the main attraction was the Elvis Burger, a beef patty, Canadian bacon, mayo and gruyere cheese, sandwiched in a cronut, and served with a relish and chips. It was incredible - that pleasant croissant taste accompanied every bite I took. We ordered another glazed cronut on the side, and it was very pleasant.

In all, a very good experience. I guess the feeling of completing examinations coupled with awesome food in the trendy Brewtown created a great day.

Food: 8/10 

Service: 8/10

Ambience: 9/10

Details:

YAY: Holy Basil Sydney CBD

Home Made Spring Rolls

Satay Chicken Skewers

In February, we celebrated our friend's birthday at Holy Basil at the Shark Hotel, a Laos- Thai restaurant in the Sydney CBD. I had previously eaten at the main branch at Canley Vale and was eager to see how the newer addition stacked up against it. This time round, I had a panel of expert critics (or silly schoolboys and schoolgirls who think they know about good food) who helped me critique each and every dish and helped me come up with a score for each dish out of ten!

For entree, we had the Spring Rolls, which was not your standard sort of spring role; it was stuffed with vermicelli, which we found to be quite pleasant (7/10). The Fish Cake, by itself, would have been rather bland and unpleasant to eat, but the lemon and sweet chili dressing saved it (6/10). The Satay Chicken was dressed with coconut sauce which was nice, but not superb (7/10).

Fish Cakes

Pad See Ew (Veges)

For mains, we started with the Pad See Ew, which was absolutely delicious. The vegetables and the noodles worked together harmoniously, but we found an eyelash in the dish...(9/10). The Roast Duck Curry (Red) had an amazing flavour for sure. However, personally, I found the texture of the duck to be fairly unpleasant (my opinion dragged this one down to a 5/10). Now, this was the dish I was looking forward to as I was blown away by it at Canley Vale. The Laos Charcoal Chicken did not disappoint. It was absolutely devine. The charcoal/smokey flavour in combination with the yummy dipping sauce left a taste never to be forgotten. It could have easily rivaled the one I had at Canely Vale (10/10). Last, and DEFINITELY LEAST, was the BBQ Beef. It was tough, dry and bland (T,D&B), and I have nothing nice to say about it (3/10). We also tried some of the other guys dishes, such as the Pad Thai (Chicken), which tasted like a typical pad thai and the Ox tongue which was actually pretty good (7/10).

Laos Charcoal Chicken

Now dessert was something I was really looking forward too. Holy Basil is famous for their deep friend ice cream, which is vanilla ice cream wrapped in filo pastry which does not have the disgusting doughy taste of the ones at your Chinese takeaway. The presentation was amazing, and it looked stunning like the one at Canley Vale. Digging in and taking the first bite was phenomenal, however, it went downhill from there. The ice cream melted rapidly and failed to hold its shape, unlike the one at Canley Vale which didn't melt even though it took me 60 years to finish its yummy goodness.

Marinated BBQ Beef Cuts

In all, Holy Basil @ the Shark Hotel in the City definitely does not match with its mother branch at Canley Vale. For authentic food, there is no better place than at ethnic enclaves in metropolitan Sydney. Canley Vale is Sydney's little Laos, and holds the crown for best Laotian food in Sydney! But nonetheless, the CBD branch did not disappoint, and I am confident I will be returning soon! Also, I have to admit that the service was superb. It is not easy to meet the demands of rowdy school kids, and their patience and hospitality was a big positive.

HolyBasil Fried Ice Cream

Food: 7/10
Service: 9/10
Ambiance: 8/10
About:

NAY: Bavarian Bier Cafe Parramatta

Converted church... Brilliant!

Deli Platter

I am currently doing a national study on Germany in Modern History, which prompted me to try the German cuisine! The first thought which came into my head was: beer; and lots of it. This expectation was met, as jugs of beer lined the table. As I was underage, I was required to wear a wristband, which I found to be rather absurd as I could have easily taken it off. Anyway, the Parramatta branch of the Bavarian Bier Cafe is located in a converted church, which I found to be simply exquisite.



We quickly ordered our meals, only to be faced with an unreasonably long wait. Granted that it was packed to the brink, but nonetheless, time management could definitely have been better. For entree we ordered the Bavarian Delikatessen Platter, which comprised of various cured meats, pickles, pork belly, house baked bread and pate as well as Haus-Made Bavarian Pretzel. They forgot to bring us our bread, which required a subtle reminder from us, but this did not annoy us just as yet. I can confidently proclaim that everything on that platter was delicious. The hams were great, the pate was yummy and the pickles were quite pleasant. However, it must be acknowledged that the platter was simply various cured meats thrown onto a plate, but regardless, was delicious. The pretzel was also among one of the best pretzels i've had.

Bavarian Tasting Platter

The wait for main ensued, and we became disgruntled customers. The orange juice that we ordered sixty years ago never arrived, once again, needing a subtle nudge to the waitress. For mains, we ordered the Bavarian Tasting Platter, the Roasted Pork Belly and a Swiss Schnitzel. I only tried my Swiss Schnitzel, which I ordered with a side of potato salad, and I can honestly say, that this was mediocre at best. The local pub does better schnitzel, the potato salad was not even a salad and a huge piece of lettuce just lay they whispering "don't even bother eating me". My other diners rather enjoyed their meals, especially my cousin who had the Tasting Platter, which allowed her to taste everything from schnitzel to pork belly. Also, the side of onion rings was delish!

Swiss Schnitzel

Roasted Pork Belly

We then decided to eat dessert elsewhere. In all, I was initially fairly pleased with the restaurant, but after a few moments of reflection, I have to say, I was rather disappointed. I guess I had high expectations, and they just weren't met. I will be going to another German restaurant in the near future, and hopefully, it restores my faith in the German cuisine.

Food: 6/10
Service: 6/10
Ambiance: 9/10

About:

Address: 2-8 Phillip St, Parramatta NSW 2150

Phone:(02) 8836 1400