I Don't Eat, I Devour

 As any Sydney foodie would tell you, the best place for Indian cuisine in all of Sydney is Harris Park. A short walk from the station, one is spoilt by choice - I have visited a couple of the local favourites ( Chatkazz and Dosa Hut ), and now I add another review to my growing list.  As a lone diner, the best thing to order is a thali. A thali is a plate consisting of a grain (rice and/or flatbread), lentils, a seasonal preparation of vegetables, chutney, and a couple of curries. It is a god-send to someone like me, who wants to try a little bit of everything, with eyes enormous like the moon but a stomach the size of that of a small household pet.  Non-veg thali, $19.90 All those deliciousness for under $20 - what an absolute bargain! A generous serving of tumbling long-grain rice and two pieces of naan (each cut in half) with which to enjoy a chickpea curry, daal, butter chicken and what I think was a goat korma. Nothing is too spicy - truly a plate for everyone. The...

I have been wanting to try one particular Korean dish for a long, long time: icy cold noodle which looks chewy and are wrapped in such a dense ball that they need to be cut with scissors before enjoying. Hansang is always top of the list when I search for a Korean restaurant in Sydney where I have enjoy cold noodles, so I decided it was time to pay it a visit.  One of the best things about going to Korean restaurants is the complimentary banchan (side dishes, or meal accompaniments). I am a particular fan of the fish cake (top row, third from the left), the refreshing pickled vegetables (greens, kimchi and radishes) and the creamy pasta salad (top RHS).  Those pan fried dumplings were hard to pass. Filled with pork and chives, their golden shells give them a more satisfying and chewy texture than their steamed counterparts. The flavours are well-balanced and moreish, especially when dipped in the soy-based accompanying sauce with a touch of chilli. Ah, kimchi pancake. Simple, ...

I visited Mekong at the end of 2019 (which feels like an absolute lifetime ago) and rather enjoyed the vibrant South-East Asian cuisine on offer during that visit . This time round, I gathered a couple more friends and decided to make a feast of it, trying a few more dishes.  Mekong Share Plate, $42 For entree, I highly recommend the Mekong share plate, which serves 2 people and is a selection of the menu highlights. The scallops, which was also featured during my last visit, is a must try: fresh, tangy, balanced and sweet. The veggie samosas take me right back to my high school years where curry puffs were the height of a Thai takeaway experience (usually enjoyed right before a concert and shovelled down between rehearsals). The duck pancake comes pre-wrapped, and unlike the Chinese version with the crispy skin, the cut at Mekong has more of a pork belly like texture and equally enjoyable (though secretly, I still prefer the Chinese version if I must choose). The chicken wings ar...

When Loulou opened a couple of months ago, there was a real buzz about this chic French bistro and boulangerie that makes what I consider to be the best baguette in Sydney, surpassing even my old favourite, Azuki Bakery. So when an opportunity came up to try the cuisine, I was curious to see if it lives up to the hype.  Chicken liver parfait, $18 This unassuming-looking liver parfait is my favourite dish of the evening. Beautifully creamy and smooth, the flavours wonderfully balanced, and paired with a soft, buttery brioche from Loulou's esteemed bakery, this is a fine way to start a meal.  Pommes Dauphines, $12 Fluffy, smooth, creamy mashed potatoes encased in a light batter and gently fried, this is the comfort food of one's dreams. Absolutely gorgeous - highly recommended with a drink or two. Speaking of which, the cocktails at Loulou are classic and well-balanced. I particularly recommend the Vieux Carre.  John Dory, $48 If I were to recommend one main dish only, this...

First, a confession: though I have walked past this vibrant, fun-looking cafe many times in the past, I had never considered going in because it seemed way too happy. I thought the food would be gimmicky, yet mediocre. Oh, how I was proved wrong!  Gimmicky? Yes, a bit. Mediocre? Absolutely not.  Dragon Eggs Let's not beat around the bush. This is the reason I finally decided to go. A clutch of black and gold dragon eggs on a bed of crispy sweet potatoes, berries and boba, emerging from the dry-ice-haze like some sort of mythical discovery.  The black eggs are mochi balls, wonderfully crunchy and just slightly sticky; and filled with running salted eggyolk, which has got to be my favourite Asian dessert flavour of all time (oh, perhaps just on par with matcha). These are pure happiness.  Tom Yum Spaghetti Despite being a dessert cafe, the savoury items at Mango Coco are pretty impressive. In particular this tom yum spaghetti, which fuses the sour-and-spicy goodness of...

Thor's hammer certainly packs a punch. Probably one of the best dining experiences I've had in recent times, Mjolnir commits to the theme - but don't be fooled, this is no gimmicky restaurant where the wait staff plays dress up. The food and the drinks here mean business.  The entry is unassuming, leading down to a large, cavernous basement that transports you straight to mythical times.  Upon arrival, we are presented with a little shot of complimentary mead to whet the appetite. A sweet, moreish, fun number, it is nothing like the mead bought in bottle shops.  Across the Fjord, $21 Come for the drinking-out-of-horns, stay for the cocktails. The cocktail list at Mjolner is impressive - and many come with a theatrical display. This one came in a cloudy beaker and tastes alcoholic yet floral and subtle, with a distinct nose of of fresh pine trees.  Blazing Glogg, $23 This sweet, dark, boozy number came with a dramatic display of alcohol being pulled from one vessel to...

The various office buildings, old shopping centres and their connecting pathways in Sydney's Chinatown can be a bit of a maze, and hidden in them are charming, authentic eateries frequented by those who really understand a cuisine - and by that I mean, we go for the home-coming feel, not for the atmosphere.  The last time I visited Kowloon Cafe, a Hong Kong style diner, was in 2020 (see my post here ). We picked up a few snacks to go - but this time, I'm here for the full sit down experience.  Pineapple Bread with egg and spam $9.80 One cannot talk about HK style diners without talking about pineapple bread. So-called because the diamond shaped, sweet topping looks like the skin of a pineapple (and not because there are actual pineapples used in the bread), this delicious concoction comes in many varieties. The most traditional involves a warmed pineapple bread with a thick pat of ice-cold butter. The more interesting varieties, such as the one we have before us, may include s...