The Village - Invitation to "Ladies lunch"

It was a pleasure for "My Hunger will go on" to be invited to The Village for "Ladies Lunch" in this lovely afternoon. "Ladies Lunch" was a 3-course meal with a glass of sparkling on arrival, and it was indeed as glamorous as the name suggested.

The Village was actually located right opposite of Gastro Park, standing at the edge of Kellett Way at Potts Point. The entrance was a little bit hard to see at first, but I'm sure you won't miss the coloured building and its huge number "1".

The interior was separated into different parts, and it was divided into 2 floors. We stayed at ground floor, where the courtyard, the bar, the private dining room and the high table and chairs were at.

One random thing: we found the patterns of the tables quite amusing, as they reminded us of Menthols...lol

The friendly waitress greeted us and delivered 2 small plates of snacks. I really enjoyed the variety of nuts on the first plate...but only touched 1 piece of the olives (I'm not very good with olives, especially when they have a tangy taste).


So here are the 3-courses of sweet and savoury plates from "Ladies lunch" ($59.00):

Entrée (Share platters to start)
Salt & Pepper Calamari with Parmesan Aioli & fresh Lemon, Sweet corn & Basil cappuccino with Tempura Cauliflower, Rocket Pear & Parmesan salad with Lemon oregano vinaigrette, Butter nut pumpkin Arancini with Buffalo mozzarella & Fresh basil.

The Entrée plate from "Ladies Lunch" was quite impressive, with its neat and refreshing presentation. We dug into the Salt & Pepper Calamari first, and quickly dipped into the sauce. The Calamari was cooked really well as they can be bite off and chew without much efforts, I've only found the sauce was a little too sour for me. Then we had the fresh rocket pears from the salad, along with few sips of the hot corn and cauliflower soup (Oh the soup was perfect! I totally loved the creaminess). The pumpkin balls were so cute as they sat lazily on the sauce, we really liked that combination.

Main
Crispy skinned confit chicken with Warm potato & Shallot salad with Red wine jus.

With the main dishes, you get a choice between the two, so we decided to try one of each. I loved how the chicken was so succulent and everything was delivered at the perfect temperature. The juice just seemed to drip off the edges and landed mischievously onto the plate.

Seared Fillet of Huon Salmon with marinated fetta, rocked & parmesan salad.

This was probably our favourite dish for the day, as we couldn't describe how wonderful that feeling was to crack the crispy skin. We loved every bit of it as the salmon simply melted into our mouths, leaving us with the craving for more of it.

The Village Dessert Tasting Plate - Selection of The Village signature desserts

I was so happy to see the dessert plate finally arrived, despite the fact I was so full up to this point (seriously, girls will always have room for their desserts!). It was such an adorable and delightful plate, decorated by a variety of colours and shapes. We decided to start off with a less sweet dessert which was the small lemon meringue, and it was really nice as it was soft. Then we moved onto the Nutella tart, and they weren't as sweet as we thought but rather with a tiny hint of bitterness. After that, the moment I've been waiting for has finally come: the White chocolate Panna Cotta. Oh Dear God, it was so good (although very funny as it tend to stick to the plate, as if it doesn't want to be eaten lol), definitely my favourite out of all the desserts. It was very sweet but somewhat gentle rather than an overwhelming sweetness. Lastly, we finished off the plate with three Macarons, the only thing I didn't like was their filling seemed almost invisible.


Thank you very much again to Lilian and The Village for inviting "My Hunger will go on" to this lovely "Ladies Lunch". If anyone is curious, it's served on Saturday only from 12pm onwards (minimum 3 guests or more) but is flexible for other days for group of 15 or more. Reservations are essential so make sure you grab your girls and book them in for a fantastic time!

In addition, they also have event and corporate packages at reasonable prices, so whether you are looking for a 2 hour cocktail course or a complete day package, do check out The Village at this lively location of Potts Point :)


Address:
1 Kellett Way, Potts Point NSW 2011

Phone number:
02 8084 6057

Opening time:
Tue - Thu  5pm till late
Fri  5pm - 3am
Sat  12pm - 3am
Mon and Sun  CLOSED

Website:
http://www.the-village.com.au/index.html

Four Friends - Meeting with Katze 2013

There was a Buddhist story about four friends including a bird, a rabbit, a monkey and an elephant, they then work together towards the benefits of all...

On the particular summer afternoon, "My Hunger will go on" was invited by Nicola from Polkadot PR to meet up the owners Katze and Jimmy of "Four Friends" at Crows Nest. It was indeed a wonderful and memorable experience for us.

Before you start reading more, we'd like to share a story with all of you. This is an ordinary yet beautiful story behind the creation of "Four Friends", and "My Hunger will go on" was very glad to have the opportunity to hear it from Katze (Apologies about the background noise as there were other customers there on the day).




Now let's have a look at this small yet unique café that's full of love, joy, and sweetness...

We found this café straight away with its banner displaying the animals from "Four Friends". The café was actually opened at end of 2012, and it was owned by a lovely couple Katze and Jimmy.

We were greeted by friendly staffs and a whole selection of Chocolates behind the glasses. The variety was so colourful and it certainly did grab our attentions.

We noticed they had some products made for the upcoming Christmas, and these will surely make a delightful treat for the kids.

At "Four Friends", they also have High Tea and it seemed just as amusing as its Chocolate selections :) I found the decorations at "Four Friends" very cheerful and fun, they almost reminded you of childhood, where things are so colourful and simple. We spotted this large print of the animals from "Four Friends", they seemed to have pointed out the direction of more features waiting upstairs.

Before we headed upstairs, I have noticed these Macarons, again they were colourful.

Also we couldn't stop admiring this box that's full of Chocolates with amazing designs, and it seems to be a cute Christmas gift for someone you love.

After heading upstairs, we realised the area was actually quite spacious. There were sofa, chairs and tables, and they all had piles of magazines on them for people to read. The back area had 2 smaller chairs and sofa, dedicated to the lovely kids who visit here with their parents.

Guess what this is? (Yes, it's the wall!)

We saw Jimmy first where he offered us to try their milk Chocolate drinks, they were soon delivered by the staffs in luxurious-looking cups and plates that came in golden stripes. Katze later told us she wanted them to catch people's eyes, they definitely have!

Here was our tasting plate at "Four Friends" for the day, and it was called "The planet" according to Katze. There were different desserts on the plates, some big, some small, they all came in different shapes and colours, yet they were all sweet and aimed to bring happiness. Katze believed this reflected our world and our planet, regardless of the differences in us, we shall be considered as one (A larger tasting plate is also available called "The galaxy"). Katze also emphasized on the importance of being stress-free and eating healthy these days, hence she strives to create their products with organic and natural ingredients.

See the lucky cat on the left hand side? Katze encouraged us to try it after we had a go on all the other sweets. Honestly, we didn't expect what was inside, and it turned out to be the biggest surprise of the whole plate. The inner core was covered in pieces of popping lollies, something to remind all of us of our innocence and happiness back in our childhood days.

Katze said the most important thing in life is "Happiness", where we shall stress less, respect each other, be ourselves, be grateful of what we have, and love and support the world we live in. She has seen so many busy people nowadays who perhaps already forgotten how to smile. Thus she wanted to create somewhere people can sit and relax, and somewhere calm and peaceful, somewhere just like home. She believes "Four Friends" is somewhere unique like this, somewhere she hopes to bring others happiness.

"My favourite animal is elephant", Katze said it when we talked about the four animals, I asked why. Her answer was very simple, as she sees elephant as the most gentle and peaceful animal in the world.

Next time you pass by Crows Nest, perhaps you shall stop by "Four Friends". Perhaps you shall sit there and just breathe in the friendly air, and forget all your worries and anxieties. Sometimes happiness is all about simplicity, so clear your mind and just pause for one moment. Then perhaps, you will feel the efforts that this young couple has put into "Four Friends" and learn to appreciate little things again in life.


Thank you so much to Katze and Jimmy for sharing their inspiring story with  "My Hunger will go on", we will certainly look forward to seeing them again sometimes in the future.

PS: WISH EVERYONE A MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!!


Address:
5/29 Holtermann Street, Crows Nest NSW

Phone number:
0415 068 881

Opening time:
Mon - Fri 7am - 5pm
Sat 9am - 5pm


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Old town - Hong Kong cuisine

We have randomly come across this restaurant in Chinatown, and we noticed it specifically said it was Hong Kong cuisine.

We walked inside and found ourselves being teleported to the busy streets in Hong Kong. The BBQ duck hanging on the hooks, the small metal chairs and the wooden decorations have all reminded us of Temple Street in Hong Kong.

We remembered the restaurant (Tsui Wah) displayed on the sign inside this picture on the back of the wall (our favourite restaurant), and of course the lovely beauty store of SaSa lying everywhere in Hong Kong.






Apart from all those nostalgic moments, we spotted a lot of familiar dishes on the menu. Both of us picked the Hong Kong milk tea (cold = $3.50, hot = $3.00) and enjoyed it slowly while waiting for other dishes to arrive.


Curry Beef brisket with noodle in soup $9.80

Originally Bun thought it was curry beef noodles, but instead the noodles and curry beef came in separate bowls. We found the noodles and soup were too light, and the curry couldn't match really well with them.

Peking duck with bun (2pcs) $8.00

No doubt the look of this entrée immediately reminded us of the pork buns from Ippudo. The soft and thin bun hugged onto the piece of duck tightly along with spring onions and sauce, and the oil on the duck skin felt like it's about to explode and shoot out. Yeah, no kidding it was absolutely delicious! The moment the duck arrived our mouth, our lips were immediately moisturized by the dripping oil. It was such a surprising little dish, something different with the usual Peking duck pancakes.

Mini BBQ pork rice $5.80 (limited time from 2.30pm - 5pm)

One unique thing we found out about this place was that they offer mini dishes for a limited time in the afternoon. The bowl was quite small, more like kids' size, but I found they were good enough to fill in the hungry stomach in between lunch and dinner. I picked this BBQ pork rice, where I got 7 pieces of decent sized BBQ pork, small amount of vegetable and white rice underneath. The BBQ pork was juicy and tasty, and it really satisfied me as I was not hungry enough to eat the full size of that dish at the time.


If you haven't been to Hong Kong, try this place and you will get the feel of what some of the typical restaurants looks like in a street setting. They also offer Yum Cha dishes, range of desserts and beverages, and as well as selling little traditional Hong Kong sweets at the front of the restaurant. We liked the idea of Mini dishes, and the staff members were generally friendly.



Address:
10 Dixon Street
Sydney NSW 2000

Phone number:
02 9426 4888


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Black Star Pastry

Opposite of Newtown station, there was an open area which leads to Australia Street. If you walk a little bit more, you will find this small but incredibly popular place called the "Black Star Pastry". After winning so many awards and recognitions, it certainly gained a wide range of customers from all around the areas. So on this particular cloudy yet delightful day, Bun and I finally arrived here to hunt down that extraordinary-looking piece of cake...

Pretty much the indoor area was completely full once we arrived there, and the seats outside were also taken. We saw quite a few tourists going in and out with different types of cakes, and we got even more excited while waiting in the long line.

We saw a couple of interesting cakes, and some chocolate flavours almost tempted me to grab them. BUT NO! We were there for a reason...

Lamb Shank + Red Wine Pie $7.80

Before we go on with the cake, Bun started on the pie that made he fell in love at first sight. Yes, it was Lamb Shank, one of his favourite types of meat! I couldn't really tell the filling was actually Lamb Shank, it still tasted a little like beef, but the mixture was totally delicious! The pastry layer was great, with a few extra crunchy bits on the pointy edges.



Strawberry, Rose and Watermelon cake $7.00

Here it is! Our most wanted piece of cake from Black Star Pastry! Indeed like...OH MY GOD! Both me and Bun never really tried cakes with fresh watermelon (we have probably only tried mango, strawberry, kiwifruit etc), and not to mention the addition of flowery scent. The strawberries were huge and fresh, combined with syrupy tastes and naughty textures. The layers of cream and dacquoise created that contrast of nutty and soft sensation in the mouth, along with the boost of watermelon flavours. The overall combination was like a masterpiece, it was one of the most creative cakes we've ever seen. I would strongly recommend this to all the people out there, this unbelievably light-taste cake would be amazing for any type of occasion! (Hint: wedding cake? XD)



Address:
277 Australia Street, Newtown NSW

Phone number:
02 9557 8656

Opening time:
7 days  7am - 5pm


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Shancheng Hotpot King and LNC Dessert House (Chinatown)

After such a long summer, we decided to go there once again to murder ourselves. The reason why I said that was because Shancheng Hotpot King is probably the spiciest, most authentic, and tastiest hotpot place that we can ever find in Sydney. It's located in Chinatown, but it's a bit hard to spot as it's not on the street, so you have to walk inside the tunnel once you see the sign to reach its entrance.



When we got there, they were renovating with all the hammer sounds around the back. The place looked so much better than our last time there. The furniture looked new and shinny, the room was bright, and the colours seemed to glow even more.



Not to mention they replaced the paper menu with ipad menu! How awesome!! Although the only thing was that we found some bits were not translated to English, but I suppose you can always ask for help (Be aware some staffs may not be as attentive and helpful as the others especially at night time).

These were what we have ordered...some crab balls, fish fillets, noodles, and lots of beef and lamb rolls! (My favourite!!!) God I was fully staring at them when they arrived!



We ordered half pot base, purely because we might die after too much spicy tastes. Although in the end, most of our foods went into the spicy side, leaving the chicken soup base quite empty. This was $15.00 and I strongly recommend it if you want to try both flavours. You can pick the level of chilliness and peppery taste, we picked normal and it was already quite suicidal. We still haven't dare to try any higher levels yet (they have 4 levels and our one was 2nd lowest), maybe one day when we build enough courage?!



Oh look at that beauty!!! NOM NOM NOM! I'm drooling when I stare at this picture...however, we could only eat here probably once or twice a year. The reason? Because our stomachs never liked extreme chilliness, and it did create a bit of tension every time afterwards. Be prepared for an odd feeling in the stomach and burning sensation on the lips and throat if you are going to pick spicy base! (But it was all worth it!!! I think our bill was just under $60 with 2 drinks)


Address:
Shop 8a, 363 Sussex St Sydney

Phone number:
02 9267 6366

Opening time:
Mon - Sun  11.30am - Midnight


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After those extreme burning feelings, we decided to cool down with some desserts...

We arrived at this little dessert shop, and found many different desserts on the menu...


Sago coconut milk with mini balls & Ice cream  $7.50 (extra topping from 50c each)

Bun picked this one and I thought it was better than mine (>.<) We loved how the little balls swam and floated inside the bowl of coconut milk, they seemed to have fun until we gulped them down. They tasted just like jelly, or those pearls inside bubble milk teas. We loved the chewiness and enjoyed fitting many of them in the mouth at once.


Bossa Nova $8.00 (Chocolate and Vanilla gelato with fruit salad base, topped with whipped cream & chocolate sauce & poco sticks, sprinkle with choc chips)

This was what I picked, although it looked nothing like what was on the menu...I loved the Chocolate gelato and these toppings. Now I think about it, I should have eaten the fruit salad first. The reason was...after you ate the Ice cream, the fruits tasted extra sour!!!

(PS. If anyone is interested, they give you a reward card where you buy 10 desserts to receive one for free - conditions apply)


Address:
Shop 12/339 Sussex St Sydney

Phone number:
02 9283 3823

Opening time:
Sun - Thu  12 noon - Midnight
Fri - Sat  12 noon - 2am


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It's probably not the best combination to have something so spicy and followed by something icy, but we didn't really mind if it was once in a long time. Shancheng Hotpot King is something I'd definitely recommend for all the people who love extreme chilli foods, and LNC Dessert House is somewhere you wanted to go for a wide variety of desserts. On a late night in Chinatown, you just can't help it but wander around to new places, as you'll never know what kind of little surprises you may find.

Sparkle Cupcakery and Rekorderlig Cider, Mango-Raspberry Limited Edition Launch Party

From today the 14th till end of November 2012, Sweden's premium cider, Rekorderlig (recently awarded as "Best Cider in Australia") will partner with Sparkle Cupcakery at Surry Hills to launch the lovely Mango-Raspberry flavour cupcake - Limited edition.

This fun and delicious cupcake is based on the Mango-Raspberry cider ingredients, looking forward to delight the beginning of summer with fresh raspberry and mango tastes. The cupcakes at Sparkle Cupcakery are baked daily using the highest quality ingredients, ready to give you a sweet boost of energy for the day.

Not sure if anyone would feel the same way as I do, but I like the sound of anything that's "Limited edition", so I was actually quite excited when I received an invitation to attend the launch party yesterday at Sparkle Cupcakery at Surry Hills (Thank you!!!).

I brought Bun along with me and we arrived with friendly staffs and cups of PINK colours welcoming us after entering the doorway. There they were! The premium Mango-Raspberry ciders from Rekorderlig! The initial sip just brought summery feeling into the air, so refreshing. The light and crisp sensation almost reminds you of a splash of water under the sunlight at a beach party, preparing for the excitements ahead.




There were a whole row of Mango-Raspberry ciders, and we also spotted "The Little Black book" launched earlier last year from Sparkle Cupcakery.



Apart from these Mango-Raspberry ones, they actually have six other flavours!






The crowd got bigger later on, and everyone seemed like they were having a great time :)

Ta-Da! Here it is!! The Mango-Raspberry cupcakes!! I actually like the colours, you can just imagine them popping up in summer parties...in your backyard, at your tea table, outdoor weddings etc. I see the burst of yellow colours like sunshine, sparkling brightly when they appears.

 

Here's a close up of it! It was short, but sweet, the quick indulgence makes it a perfect delight. I can see why some people are so addicted to cupcakes now, as you can probably just sit there all day and let time slip away slowly while you grab several of them. Listen to your favourite classic music, read an incredible book, catch up with your favourite friends, whatever it is, this Mango-Raspberry cupcake will make a great company :)

If you like to try the Mango-Raspberry cupcakes, make sure you pop over to Sparkle Cupcakery before end of this month!! We could see that Sparkle Cupcakery have plenty of other interesting cupcake flavours too, like the Green Tea & Bubbles, Lavender & Honey, White chocolate and Strawberry, Afternoon delight etc. It's probably a good idea to give them a try sometimes too...Mmmmmmmmm.



Address:
132 Foveaux St, Surry Hills

Phone number:
02 9361 0690     Mon - Fri 9am-5pm (Customer inquiries and orders)

Opening time:
Mon to Fri   8am - 5.30pm
Saturday  9am - 5pm
Sunday 10am - 5pm


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