Crane Bar Restaurant's first birthday party 2013 - The Golden Age

Thanks to Simon again, "My Hunger will go on" was invited to attend the Crane Bar's first birthday celebration. The Crane Bar Restaurant's location was actually just diagonally opposite of Buns and Balls! The theme for the party is "The golden age", and it was perfect for this party as gold colour always tend to represent wealth and prosperity.  The waitresses were in gold dresses, along with gold balloons floating all across the rooms and outside the bar.

The Crane Bar Restaurant was very crowded when we got there, with busy DJ and bartenders on the spot to bring joy and laughter. The whole bar had a warm glow with candle lights and gold decorations. The lighting behind the alcohol bottles at the bar just added an extra fancy touch to the evening.

We found lots of Sake standing neatly on the shelves, and the range at Crane Bar Restaurant was quite impressive. I wondered if they had Umeshu somewhere? (My favourite Japanese drink - Plum wine)

We saw a huge line behind the bar area, then we realised the live action of Sashimi making. They were really fresh and thick, which added the ultimate satisfaction of swallowing them. The chefs were quick and steady in cutting, slicing and arranging the Sashimi. We could see that the crowd were very pleased at these at the Crane Bar Restaurant, as the queue seems forever non-stop. The rice was very soft too, with just the right amount to give a good proportion.

We also found some skewers and fried chicken circulating around, and we decided to take a photo of this juicy one.

Unfortunately, we had to leave the event early and did not get a chance to explore as much as we would like to. Nevertheless...Happy first Birthday Crane Bar Restaurant!!! Now...why not have your own party/function here? And enjoy the delicate Japanese fusion cuisine and endless choices of cocktails and Sake :)

Here's is a short video clip of the night at the Crane Bar Restaurant:




It's getting extremely busy for us before Christmas time, but "My Hunger will go on" definitely have a few more exciting posts scheduled and looking forward to share with all of you soon!


Address:
32 Bayswater Road, Potts Point NSW

Phone number:
02 9357  3414

Opening time:
Mon & Tue Closed
Wed - Sun 5pm - 4am


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Hurricane's Grill and Bar - Top Ryde

It was our friend's birthday so we decided to visit Hurricane's Grill and Bar at Top Ryde for some awesome steaks and ribs! For super meat lovers (ie. Bun), this place is like a total heaven. The restaurant was about 95% full when we got there, and just when the giant Christmas tree started to lit up in front of Hurricane's Grill and Bar.

The waiters and bartenders were extremely busy, and diners inside Hurricane's Grill and Bar seemed happy and enjoying their meals. The atmosphere at Hurricane's Grill and Bar was vibrant and cheerful, quite perfect for the festive season coming ahead. We stood there a little to wait for our booked table, while the irresistible sights of ribs and steaks hovered around us a couple of times to make us swallow our own drool.

Garlic Roll $4.50

Finally after we sat down at our table, we decided to pick this starter to kick off our meal. The crust was quite crunchy, so I guess we all loved this as it was gone in a speed of light.

Natural Oysters (half $21.00 / dozen $38.00)

How can we ignore the oysters on Hurricane's Grill and Bar menu? As soon as we saw it, we decided to order a dozen. It comes with fresh lemon and Tobasco sauce for us to indulge, and the oysters lied neatly above the rock salts. I loved that moment when you gulp down the oyster, when the salty flavour hits you with a tiny sting, and they were so fulfilling.


Main dishes (drum roll):

Orders from our friends A and J (below), they seemed very happy with their meal...mmmm meeeeat!!!

Our orders for the night:

Junior T-Bone (400gm) $32.00 (either with chips or baked potato) with pepper sauce ($2.50)

Bun has always been a fan of T-bone steak (median rare), when I asked him why, he always says it had a different taste to other parts (yes, Bun has popped out again...). While he was imagining the steak talks back to him and admiring its juiciness, I managed to take a snap shot. One bite of this was good enough to make you dance around in joy, as it was extremely tender with a tiny bit of fat to compliment. We swear at Hurricane's Grill and Bar, you probably don't even need sauce to go with its meat, it was already so good just by itself.

Beef Ribs (Half $31.90, Full 42.90) either with chips or baked potato (You can also pick lamb or pork ribs)

This was said to be Hurricane's most famous dish, so I knew I had to pick this to have a try. While everyone else on the table having fun eating their meal, I waited another half hour or so until it finally arrived. The waiter gave me one of those (shown in bottom right picture) to me to prepare me for the craziness later on (I can sort of imagine the bits and pieces from the ribs flying everywhere as I get too excited). This certainly entertained the others as I looked like a chubby baby trying to learn how to eat for the first time. I don't know what the "secret sauce" at Hurricane's Grill and Bar is, but it definitely hit the right spot! My hands were covered with this sticky sauce with that bit of sweetness, and I really couldn't resist licking the fingers like what people did on the other table. As you bite off one side of the rib, the beef just started hanging down to give you that amazing second to bite all the rest of the meat in one bite. Mmmm...200% SATISFACTION. Oh, the bonus point? Order it with the baked potato!!


All of us loved Hurricane's Grill and Bar, they were certainly one of the best places in Sydney for meat lovers! We noticed that they actually had burgers and skewers on their menu too...oh well...next time :D


Address:
Top Ryde City Shopping Centre
Shop R 3006 Ground Level
Cnr Blaxland Road & Devlin Street
Ryde NSW

Phone number:
02 9130 7101

Opening time:
Lunch:
Mon - Fri 12pm - 3pm
Dinner:
Mon - Fri 5pm till late
Sat, Sun & Public holidays 12pm - late


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Buns & Balls - 2013 Online influencers dinner

"My Hunger will go on" was invited by Simon from "SIMON SAYS" and Sian from "The Darlin Group" to attend the "Online Influencers Dinner" at Buns & Balls, this was certainly exciting for us to check out this new hang-out place at Kings Cross. Buns & Balls was a little bit away from the main street, so you do achieve that privacy if you wish to have a party or function here. Buns & Balls is said to be "casual and vibrant". With funky street arts on the walls, trendy lighting, pool table, live music, comfortable couches, happy hours and outdoor dining area, it no doubt will increase the heart beat of any individuals who seeks for a fun night out.


So on this particular night, we were allocated to our table outdoor. With colourful light bulbs hanging above our heads and the sun slowly waving goodbye, our intimate dinner at Buns & Balls kicked off.

Cocktails:
Pineapple, ginger beer, vodka & bitters (left), Watermelon, lime and vodka (right) - freshly squeezed, with or without alcohol

I picked the watermelon while Bun went with pineapple, we were not sure which one was better because they were very different in terms of sensation and flavour. I found the watermelon one was very refreshing, with that mixture of sweetness and tingling sourness, it would be a brilliant summer drink. While the pineapple one was rather a little creamy, with quite a strong taste of ginger beer and hints of sweetness from pineapple.

Gourmet Meatballs:
Beef & Pork

This was like one of those classic meatballs that straight away melts your heart. They were juicy, and full of flavours bursting with every bite. Buns & Balls certainly aced this one!

Crispy Tofu served with warm chilli nap sauce

I thought this idea from Buns and Balls was very creative and interesting, they were so soft that they collapse as soon as I lifted them up with my fork. The meatballs then broke down into little square pieces of Tofu, and they were indeed tasty.

Barrumundi Croquette served with Buns & Balls' tartare sauce

Comparing to the previous 2 meatballs, this one from Buns & Balls seemed a little more ordinary. The skin was very crunchy, with that stream of hot air flowing out after the bite with fresh aroma.

Gourmet burger: (you can order gluten-free buns too!!)
Char-grilled beef (Wagyu beef, cheese, grilled onions, tomato, lettuce, mayo & Buns & Balls' burger sauce)

When we eat a good burger, it makes us happy for many days. So when we heard that Buns & Balls was especially passionate about their burgers, our eyes glittered up. The beef burger certainly did not disappoint us from our expectations, it delighted us in so many ways! The ingredients were in perfect proportion, the patty was extra juicy along with the melting cheese and sauce. We loved this!

Sweet potato fries

This was something different, as we had so much experiences eating just potato fries. The sweet potato fries was somewhat more gentle in its taste, and they were less crunchy. I loved the dark brown parts as they provided a little bit of chewiness and sweetness.

Grilled chicken burger (Marinated & char-grilled chicken, cheese, grilled onions, tomato, lettuce, mayo and Buns & Balls' chilli sauce)

Bun said this one tasted a little like Portuguese chicken, for me, it reminded me of those Korean chilli chicken. The chicken was even juicier than the previous beef burger, which made me drool for more.

Fresh Salad:
Char-grilled chicken with a side of chilli sauce

Char-grilled steak with a side of steak sauce

We all agreed that the chicken salad was better than the steak one, I felt it was because the beef was a little bit dry comparatively.

Spicy Louisiana Wings with blue cheese sauce

Oh god, those chicken man...No doubt they were everyone's favourite from Buns & Balls, I swear we could just sit there and eat those all day. The spicy flavour totally sank into the chicken, so prepare to get your hands sticky on this one. I would absolutely recommend this to people if they come to Buns & Balls, they were totally delicious!



Now on the menu that was given us, it said dessert will be a sweet surprise, and indeed they were!

We received cookie and ice cream sandwiches and pieces of Krispy Kreme donuts with chocolate sauce. The funny thing about the cookie and ice cream sandwich was...because the cookies were very hard, the ice cream just creeps right out when you bite on them! That difference in their textures was somewhat amusing. Oh and everyone loves Krispy Kreme donuts :D

We bumped into Ando and Brenda from The Lamstock, so it was time for some happy happy photos~~~ smile!!


In addition, "My Hunger will go on" decided to shoot a short video of Buns & Balls for you to check out their fun atmosphere.




Thanks again to Simon and Sian for inviting "My Hunger will go on" to this intimate dinner, we had a great time. This is definitely somewhere we want to return to in the near future, and most likely with a group of friends for a quick drink to catch up!


Address:
33 Bayswater Road, Sydney NSW

Phone number:
02 9326 9054

Opening time:
Tue - Fri 6pm - late
Sat - Sun 3pm - late

Website:

www.bunsandballs.com.au

 

 

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Bloodwood

 

The Bloodwood Restaurant and Bar was located at the quieter side of Newtown, mysterious and secluded. The interior reminded me of the movie called "Inception" where no ordinary rules applied for its designs, thus you will see bottles forming part of the wall, random recycled materials, illusional patterns that merged with stairs, and light bulbs hanging down the ceiling like a starry sky.

 

We got allocated to a table upstairs just near the staircase, and we were delighted by the warm and friendly waiters. When the menus were given to us, we had absolutely no problem in selecting the first entree dish, as we came to try out this dish since the beginning.

Polenta chips with Gorgonzola sauce  $9.00

I've heard stories about these chips, mostly just about how fat and chunky they were. So we have decided to see it ourselves, and exactly how fascinating it was. The size of each chips were like wedges, except they were 10 times more delicious. The golden crust coated the soft inner core, and they were ready to be dipped deeply into the white Gorgonzola sauce. Bun said he found this dish quite bland and tasteless, but I actually liked it! (I have this weird habit where I like to eat the very original flavour of chips) Not sure whether it was because of the crust, or due to the creamy sauce, but I found every bite was very fulfilling.

PS: Polenta is a paste or dough made from cornmeal as used in Italian cooking. Gorgonzola is a type of rich and strong-flavoured Italian cheese with bluish-green veins.


Seared tuna, plum glaze, apple and snow pea tendrils  $18.00

This was quite an interesting dish, where the sweet and sourness of the fruits helped to highlight the freshness of the tuna. I liked how thin each slice was, and how easy it was to swallow them (very very smooth!). Although we had to say we wished the portion was bigger than that.


Glazed hombrea chicken with chickpeas, kale, smoked sausage and pickled onion  $32.00

Funny how with this dish, I actually enjoyed the vegetable side more than the meat. The vegetables were all soaked with full flavours and they complimented the meat really well. I liked the smoked sausage but still found it a bit salty to my taste. Along with the pile of crunchy chickpeas, there lied the row of juicy chicken, and I do find their skins were a lot more tempting than the actual meat.


Being the Best Bar with Food and Best Casual Restaurant previously, we found Bloodwood had some really smart and sophisticated dishes to offer for its customers. However, we thought the portion could be seen as quite small for some people. The restaurant itself had dim lighting, funky music and as well as a chatty crowd. We wouldn't mind to return to this place again one day, just to try its range of cocktails and desserts.


Address:
416 King Street, Newtown NSW

Phone number:
02 9557 7699

Opening time:
Mon  5pm till late
Tue  CLOSED
Wed & Thu  5pm till late
Fri & Sat  midday till late
Sun  midday till 10pm


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