Lindt Chocolat Café, Cockle Bay Wharf

Was a chilly night and we were craving some sort of dessert/late night snack so ventured to Lindt Café for some hot chocolate.  They had a 2 for 1 special going that night: A buy-one-get-one Hazelnut hot chocolate, so why not!   Added a few Macarons (Pistachio, Vanilla) and a slice of the Opera cake.

Our drinks came out in 5 minutes, presented nicely with a mug, a hazelnut chocolate pot, and a mini-jug of milk.  We poured our chocolate into the mug, but unfortunately the milk was not hot enough to really melt the chocolate...so sad.  Ended up being a lukewarm drink which was quite disappointing.  The “half-price” factor didn’t even make up for it!  Macarons were tasty if not a little sweet (but that’s how macarons normally are) and the Opera cake was quite rich.

Hazelnut hot chocolate, Macarons, Opera Cake

My only other experience at Lindt was at the George St location in Sydney CBD.  I think they do better drinks there than what we experienced today at Cockle Bay Wharf…perhaps it was an off day?  You can decide J

Happy Chef Noodle, Haymarket

The Haymarket food court can take a bit of work to navigate.  Filled with masses of people and choice-upon-choice of takeaway options, its difficult to know what to order. 

Today we went to Happy Chef Seafood and Noodle restaurant.  It is located at the far end of the brightly-lit food court.  The pictures on the boards look so appetising, but makes you wonder if its a true reflection of the actual dish.  Still, its food court so what can you expect!

We choose the Wonton and Fish Cake Noodle soup.  The noodles were well cooked, not to soft/soggy and not too hard.  Approximately 6 wontons were included and they were decently sized with a pork and vegetable filling.  The fish cakes was less impressive and a little rubbery. 

Wonton and Fish Cake Noodle Soup (~11)

A decent meal in a food court environment.  Wouldn't come here specifically to eat, but pass-able if you are in the area and are starving.
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Happy Chef Seafood & Noodles Restaurant

401 Sussex Street, Shop F3 Sussex Centre

Sydney New South Wales 2000

(02) 9281 8337

http://www.yelp.com.au/biz/happy-chef-seafood-and-noodles-restaurant-sydney
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Nonya, Chinatown Sydney

As I continue my Malaysian-food cravings, I had high hopes for Nonya.  Located upstairs in the outdoor Dixon Street strip-mall, it looks quite fancy from the outside.

The first time I came here, I had the Char Kway Teow ($11).  Plenty of flat rice noodle surrounded by egg, prawn, Chinese sausage and bean sprouts, it had quite a spicy kick to it.  Pretty delicious and hit the spot.

Second time here, it was raining.  Note to self: Take care when walking ANYWHERE inside the restaurant since their floor tiling is super slippery.  Saw several people sliding around, almost on the verge of hitting the floor and a potential law suit :D

Dinner consisted of Roti Prata ($6), Malay Satay chicken skewers ($8), KangKong Belachan vegetable ($11), Gado Gado - veggies in peanut sauce ($11), Beef Rendang ($11), Hainanese Chicken Rice ($10), Char Kway Teow($11), Chow Fan Fried Rice ($11), Singapore Spicy Chilli Crab ($$$$$).  

Roti Prata was thick and not paper-thin like you get a Mamak.  The Malay Satay chicken was drenched in oil and fat...for a girl, it wasn't too appetising.  The KangKong Belachan was tasty and had a good amount of shrimp paste but also heavily saturated in oil.  Gado Gado was cooked Malay-style rather than Indonesian-style and bland even though it was topped with plenty of peanut sauce.  The beef rendang was decent but the meat was a little dry.  The Hainanese Chicken and Char Kway Teow was tastu and the overall two better dishes of the night.  The Chow Fan rice had ~5 large prawns but completely bland and the rice was hard!  As for the Singapore Chilli crab...it tasted ok but completely overpriced. 

Nonya has abandoned the notion of simple and tasty Malay hawker food.  It plays on its modern-decor, clean Asian restaurant-feel to attract its customers and charge high prices for underwhelming dishes.  Service was terrible.  Also for large groups with 8+ people, you'll likely be seated in the hallway of the adjacent Asian mall...aka - outside the main restaurant.  

Do not anticipate returning since Sydney has many more Malaysian restaurants serving exponentially better food, but just in a less-hip environment. 

Sapore della Vigna, Leichhardt

First time to the Italian Forum, I was excited to try some true Italian cuisine.  It was a Friday night but surprisingly not too busy.  We immediately got seated and was presented with a huge menu....so many options!

As a fan of pappardelle pasta, I opted for the daily special of Braised Lamb Shank with Black Pepper Pappardelle (~$28).  Large amounts of ribbon pasta filled the plate, combined with a tomato-based sauce.  A large lamb shank sat on the top, setting the scene for a yummy and hearty meal.  As I dug into the dish, I noticed some of the pasta was still clamped in chunks.  It was quite unique though, having black pepper embedded into the pasta ribbons.  Although the lamb meat fell off the bone, it was a little dry, so not too enjoyable when eating in large amounts.  The tomato sauce did help to offset the dry-ness, making it more tasty.

Braised Lamb Shank with Black Pepper Pappardelle (~$28)

We also got the Spicy seafood Linguine.  It came out temperature hot and beautifully presented, however it lacked the spicy kick except for when you ate the actual chill pepper.  It was however filled with prawns, scallops, mussels, clams and tomato cubes.  The pasta was cooked too al dante for me, and unlikely to have been freshly made that day.

Spicy Seafood Linguini (~25)

Consider this to be mass-made Italian food, quality and taste was good but overpriced.  There is seating both inside and outside the restaurant and can cater to large groups and/or parties.  Took us at least a good 15 mins and 4 tries of the waiter to get our bill.  Very welcoming to get us in the door, but took forever for us to pay and leave.

Petaling Street, Sydney CBD

I always crave Malaysian foods, here I am to try it out.  Petaling Street serves Malaysian Hawker food, according to their restaurant menu.  Standing at the front entrance, you think it's a long, narrow restaurant that seats only a small number of patrons.  Little do you know, there is a second floor that expands out into a much bigger dining hall. 

We had the Chicken Curry Laksa, which came out fairly quickly once ordered.  Filled to the brim with piping hot broth, the bowl had substantial amount of chicken, fish cakes, bean curd and bean sprouts, and included both thick egg noodles and vermicelli noodles.  Curry broth was spicy and very flavourful - a pleasant surprise to other bland broths I've had in the past.

#56.  Chicken Curry Laksa ($10.80)

We also had #40. Fried Koay Teow ($10.80).  A huge plate of flat rice noodles, mixed with seafood, bean sprouts and Chinese sausage.  Again, very good flavours which hits the spot.  Didn't notice any MSG afterwards either, which is a plus!

All in all, Petaling Street could be my new "to-go" dining place for a quick and cheap eat.  Satisfies all the cravings and doesn't blow the bank!  I'm hungry for their food just thinking about it... Highly recommended!

 

Baba Laksa House, CBD

Several workmates had suggested this so come here on a weekday to try it out.  Located in the Grace Hotel on York St, its a pretty central location that fills up quickly once lunchtime rolls around.  We got there at 12.30pm and I was slightly worried about not being able to find a table.  Luckily for us, a couple was just finishing up and I quickly slid into their vacant seat :)

Baba Laksa has quite a diverse set of lunch options - ranging from rice places, to laksa, to soup noodles.  We choose the Beef Rendang with Rice, and the Singapore Har Mee.  The Beef Rendang was presented on a long plate, filled half with white rice and half with beef chucks.  Texture of the meat was a little dry for me, and although there was plenty of rendang sauce...there wasn't too many chucks of meat - maybe 7 pieces?!

The Singapore Har Mee was quite good.  Noodles in a tangy and light broth, filled with plenty of chicken meat and prawns.  I think I counted at least 5 prawns, which is pretty impressive!  These days, it seems like you are lucky to get more than 3 :D  A small amount of chinese vegetables and bean spouts was included, and the bowl was topped with fried onions and half a boiled egg.  For those that want a bit more heat, you can add extra chill to spice it up.  Baba serves their laksas and soup noodles in long, oval-shapped bowls.  Takes it one step up from the old, chipped, plastic bowls that usually goes together with this type of street food!

Singapore Har Mee Noodles (~$11)

Baba Laksa house is a place to grab a casual bite - Quick service, right amount of tables/seating, and decent food.  Wasn't a fan of the beef rendang but would go back for the Singapore Har Mee.  Although Baba is situated in a hotel lobby, its not a "hotel-type" restaurant...its simple food, nothing fancy.

Etch Restaurant, CBD

We came to this restaurant solely wanting dessert! :) 

Etch is located inside the Sydney Intercontinental , with a private entrance to the side of the hotel.  We had previously read the menu on their website , but as you enter the lobby of the restaurant, the "flower pattern" located on their website actually is a true reflection of the restaurant's ambiance.  Unlike most of the modern hotels these days (W or Westin in particular), entering Etch takes you back to grandma's house that's filled with antique chairs, old fashioned decor, and walls that are still lined with wallpaper.  Does wallpaper still exist?  haha :)

We started off with the Pavlova platter, which contained of mini pavlova shells, chocolate mousse domes, and ice cream.  Given the menu had 'pavlova' in the dessert's name, what came out was not what we had envisioned at all.  After tasting it, I would call it a deconstructed meringue, definately not a pavlova.  The meringue shells were crunchy and hollow on the inside, but no soft or silky texture of a pavlova base.  The mousse domes was quite dense but good, however the ice cream was pretty regular. 

Although the bottom of the dessert plate was lined with chocolate-lines, there was not enough of it to be able to lift it off the plate.  Guess it was solely a decorative-effort rather than an accompliment to the dish.  As much as I love most dessert, I felt this one was just 'meh'.  Even as I write this post, I noticed the website has been updated and it is no longer offered on the menu - trust me, you aren't missing much.

Mixture of Pavlova and Ice cream ($16)

Onto the next dessert tray - the Caramel date tart.  From the description on the menu, it does give the impression that it may be similar to a stick date pudding/tart.  But!  Obviously what came out was nothing like it. 

The tart was simply that - a thin layer of caramel followed by a layer of date filling, all on top of a shortbread crust.  Kinda like a pumpkin pie...except with dates.  A scoop of burnt butter ice cream accompanied it on the side, though I couldn't really taste the "burnt-ness" that it's name suggests.  And although of the two desserts, I personally liked this one better, it was still just 'ok'. 

Caramel date tart, burnt butter ice cream, 

Earl Grey tea syrup  ($16)

Based on the quality of these two desserts, I'm sceptical to return to Etch for dinner.  Etch - I really did want to like you, but something special would need to happen to convenience me to change my mind!