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.

Phamish

There we were, staring at a whole bunch of people eating at Phamish, so we thought this got to be good! Indeed it was an interesting location (like...in the middle of nowhere?) among some other restaurants, and its red colour stood out from the crowd.



They were more like Takeaway style, in which the menu was written up on the board near the counter.

We sat directly across the kitchen, and it looked pretty busy! While we were waiting, we went to get a random drink from the little fridge.

Duck and prawn pancakes, filled with roast duck, prawns and fresh Vietnamese herb (2pc $14.00, 3pc $21.00, 4pc $28.00, 5pc $35.00)

This dish was the reason we came here, so obviously we were so excited when it arrived our table! Yes, it was a lot bigger than what we imagined, and the filling felt like it was going to burst out. I thought the combination of duck and prawn was quite unique, so I tried a full bite for the ultimate satisfaction. I LOVED IT! Despite of how strong the herb tasted, it actually complimented the meat quite well. I loved how there were so much textures in there...you can taste the juicy duck, the fresh prawn, the bits of crunchy bean sprout, the sweet chilli dipping sauce, along with the carefully wrapped paper roll. We were actually already 3/4 full after we finished this, so we felt it certainly worth the price.


Bo Luc Lac Beef, Sauteed in Soy and Onion and served on a bed of mixed salad, lime or Cumquat, Salt and Pepper dipping sauce $20.50

Bun ordered this for our main dish, we thought it was quite ordinary at the start but the taste won our hearts in the end. We loved how well the beef was cooked, as they were tender and juicy. The green salad was a bonus, in which refreshed our mouths for more meats. We actually forgot to dip into Salt and Pepper, but I guess we didn't really need it as they had perfect amount of flavours already.

Rice $3.00

We also ordered rice to go with the beef, ahhhhh that was GOOOOOOD!


Overall we had a nice experience there, and the only thing I can probably point out was the heat inside the restaurant. If you come in winter, I'd highly recommend you sit exactly where we sat (with the heat waves from kitchen and burning sensation from the light bulbs). But please, go outside if it's summer, it will be 10 times better than indoor!!! (We sweat zillion times in there!) Oh, and did I also mention they had really funny chairs? :P



Address:
248 Palmer St
Darlinghurst NSW

Phone number:
02 9357 2688

Opening time:

Lunch:
Thu and Fri   Noon until 2.30pm
Dinner:
Tue to Sat  6pm to 9.30pm
Sun 5.30pm to 9.30pm


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Pho Tau Bay

We have heard so many people compared Pho Tau Bay with Pho An, so we got curious. On this particular evening, we went to check out Pho Tau Bay, another popular venue for Pho-lovers.

The interior was alot smaller than we imagined, and it certainly wasn't as crowded as Pho An. Honestly we thought we would see a line outside the door, but the restaurant was actually half empty. Possibly because we arrived near the closing time?

They had different sizes for serving, and I just had to pick LARGE (at $12.50 with rare beef and beef briskets). Oh jesus, how wrong was I? Their large size was seriously LARGE. It was like almost double the size of Pho An's bowl, the noodles seemed endless, and the meats inside just never stopped appearing!


For those who could never have enough of Pho, I definitely recommend a large bowl at Pho Tau Bay. The portion would satisfy your craving, and left you with total happiness.

We like to add a lot of chilli sauce and fresh chilli into our Pho, which meant I ended up with watery eyes, runny nose, and sweat everywhere. Who was it that said the intense burn releases endorphin in the brain and leaves you craving more? Yeah this was definitely the case, we were too addicted! Fortunately these spicy sensations were not like the Chinese chilli oil or the Korean chilli rice cakes, as they only burn your mouth for 10 seconds and slowly fades away.


If you asked me to compare Pho Tau Bay and Pho An, I'd say...I liked the taste at Pho An better, but I definitely loved the portion at Pho Tau Bay. So it depends, on the days when you feel like eating more, Pho Tau Bay would definitely come into the mind!



Address:
12/117 John Street, Cabramatta NSW

Phone number:
02 9726 4583

Opening time:
Mon and Wed to Fri  7.30am - 6.30pm
Tue CLOSED
Sat and Sun  7.30am - 7.30pm


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The debut of Rekorderlig Passionfruit Cider - Taste of Sydney 2013

"My Hunger will go on" was lucky to be invited by Rekorderlig Cider (Thank you Ellie for the invitation!) to Taste of Sydney 2013 (14-17 March 2013), a fun festival at Centennial Park to appreciate and taste various restaurant foods, wines, and attend cooking shows.

We got there on Friday evening for 5.30pm opening, and we were amazed by the number of people heading there for the extraordinary culinary experience.

Rekorderlig Cider is the exclusive Cider sponsor for Taste of Sydney 2013, their custom built Beautifully Swedish "Rekorderlig Star" bar aimed to provide a relaxing, exciting, and engaging experience for their guests. There are multiple bean bags, table tennis and fuse ball for the guests to enjoy while they sip away any of eight sensational flavours.



Rekorderlig Cider's impressive range of flavours (From left to right): Apple, Apple & Blackcurrant, Mango & Raspberry, Wild Berries, Pear, Orange & Ginger, Strawberry-Lime, Passionfruit


We were absolutely thrilled after hearing about the debut of the new flavour from Rekorderlig Cider, as our last experience with Mango-Raspberry flavour had been great!


After finding the perfect spot to indulge, the Orange & Ginger (Left) and Passionfruit (Right) ciders arrived at our table. Firstly, the Orange & Ginger flavour somewhat reminded us of Ginger beer. It was bitter, yet with a slight sourness of the Orange. If you don't love too much sweetness, or perhaps you prefer something more stimulating, I would highly recommend this flavour. As with the new Passionfruit flavour, I found it had a very light taste with a mixture of sweetness and tanginess. It was more refreshing compared to the Orange & Ginger flavour, and a lot gentler on the taste bud. As I drank the Passionfruit flavour, I could picture myself sitting at a beach, enjoying a cool breeze and listening to the voices of the ocean. A memorable food or beverage can always arouse vivid imaginations, just like a good book that can take your mind to some amazing places.

Personality I actually loved Strawberry-Lime flavour the most, it tasted really sweet like a candy melting in your mouth. If I could use something to describe that flavour, I'd say it was like a young innocent girl, searching to fall in love at first sight.




Apart from the wonderful experience at Rekorderlig Cider, we managed to go around to different pop-up restaurants to taste some delicious and unique dishes.



The roast pig outside "Four in Hand" stand really grabbed our full attention, maybe because we had a low resistance towards food that were cooked on the spot, especially meat. With the colour of that pig, the constant smoke, and inevitable inhalation of the aroma, we rushed our way to get our first plate.

So there I was, opening mouth wide and enjoying as much as I could.

Spit roast suckling pig with coleslaw and hot sauce $12.00

The suckling pig was unbelievably soft, and they fell into pieces every time as they were lifted up by the fork. Every bit was cooked perfectly, and they combined well with the creamy hot sauce. Along with the Coleslaw and potatoes on the side, it was a great dish to start off the journey!

Later on we continued our search for innovative dishes around the area, and we found some great ones as below:

BBQ Prawn skewers with black pepper, curry leaf sauce and Sri Lankan pickle $10.00 (Peter Kuruvita's Seafood BBQ)

The flavours were strong, with all the spices circulating your mouth to give you that everlasting pleasure. I loved how the prawns were so fresh and fulfilling, each bite fit into the mouth perfectly. The only thing we wished for was...more prawns on the skew! (Clearly we craved for more)


Turmeric Chicken with rice noodles, wild ginger & Thai basil $8.00 (Longrain)

This was one of the cheaper dish compared with the others, but the standard was definitely equivalent to or above the rest. I loved how chilli this dish turned out to be, and the way that each ingredient mixed well for that burst of flavour. The noodles were flat, slippery and chewy, which I found quite interesting.






ICON DISH - Deboned roasted sheep head with local garlic and cherry tomatoes tandir $14.00 (Efendy)

One of the icon dishes we ate for the day was at Efendy, where we bought the deboned roasted sheep head. I had no idea how we came to try out this dish, it was certainly something outside our usual preference. We have ate chicken head, duck head, pig head, but sheep head? Really? I guess we were curious. It turned out that we enjoyed some parts and not so much of the others. The brain was a strange experience for us, as the texture was very squishy and tasted a little bit like liver. However, the rest were great, for instance the tongue was very thick and tender, and most parts were juicy and fully soaked with amazing spices.

ICON DISH - Twice baked cheese Souffle $22.00

The second icon dish we tried was at "Claude's", purely because I couldn't resist the sound of "Twice baked CHEESE Souffle". But I was actually a little disappointed at the result, as it turned out to be very different to how I thought it would be. The cheese has melted to the right stage, but I imagined it would be puffed up instead of flatten down. The taste was still awesome, but I guess double cheese was a bit too much for me at the time.

On the side note, we saw Poh (from Season one of Masterchef)! She was demonstrating some interesting dishes and how to cook them.  Unfortunately we ran out of time and decided to grab one of her recipes instead. Later we thought...we soooo should have watched or even tried the dishes!

Salted Caramel Macaroon $4.00 (Croquembouche Patisserie)

On our way of exiting, we managed to use the last 4 Crowns on a Macaroon from Croquembouche Patisserie. While I was eating that, somehow I was comparing it with Ladurée. It was certainly bigger, and felt thicker too. But the flavour was bitterer, and the filling was slightly slimy. Not too bad I'd say, and it was nice to finish off the festival with it.





For these people who still wanted to have a look, you can purchase tickets at the door (Please check their official website for more information on tickets). You can either choose to buy Crowns (the currency used inside the festival, 1 Crown = $1) from outside or inside. I'd suggest you grab a Menu card and work out what you want to eat first, as it does get quite overwhelming with all the wonderful selections around!

Have fun exploring!!!!



Address:
Brazillian Field (Centre of Centennial Park, near Loch Avenue and Dickens Drive)
Centennial Park


Opening times:
You can still make it to the following times!!!

Sat 16th March
Dinner 5.30 - 9.30pm

Sun 17th March
Lunch 12pm - 5pm
Dinner will be CLOSED


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The French House

Despite the fact that I am so busy lately, we still managed to find time to go for quick meals around Sydney. Recently I've been addicted to Cafe food for Brunch, just something really simple to start off the day.

We arrived at The French House almost at noon and we were very hungry. Just as it sounds like, its interior is inspired by Parisian style with golden frames, classic paintings, dark wood furniture and sparkling Chandelier. Unfortunately you can't take photos inside, so we can only use our imagination here :(



On the outdoor area, there were metal chairs with creatively twisted patterns. It was pretty nice to eat at this small veranda and the indoor area may be a bit too crammed.

We didn't manage to get the detail of the menu this time (it was quite confusing of where they were!?) so all the names below came from our memories...



Vanilla Black Tea

I ordered this purely because of the word "vanilla" LOL I can't resist tea with sweet aroma, it's almost like a gentle kiss that keep you mesmerized. Sadly, I found this tea a bit disappointing, or probably too ordinary. It was quite weak with light taste, even with the enormous amount of sugar cubes. But...I love the teapot set!! Especially the golden frame of the plates in which made them look so elegant.



Raisin Escargot

This has always been my favourite no matter where I go, I just love the pastry. It's like a snail shell, twisted around in anti-clockwise direction with light syrup between the gaps. It was perfect for brunch (or probably more for breakfast), I felt like I wanted more after I finished.




Acon, lettuce, tomato, fried egg with mayo tartine

This is probably one of those classic sandwiches you can find in a Cafe, I liked how the sauce combined with the rest of the ingredients. It's suitable for lunch as it was quite large in portion. Also something I like about it was that it wasn't oily, just something light.


It was a nice Cafe, but food there can be a little overpriced. The staffs there were polite, but not as friendly as other places we have been. Although I'd imagine this place to be quite perfect for girls to hang out, enjoying the sun and the tea, along with the atmosphere just like in Paris.


Address:
1 Danks St, Waterloo NSW

Phone number:
02 8399 2770

Opening time:
Mon - Sun  7.30am - 5.30pm


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