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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Chef's gallery

We have been to Chef's gallery a few times but it's funny we never thought of taking photos before, I blame it on the fact that their food was too irresistible so you had to eat them straight away.

Today me and my friends went to Chef's gallery again, looking to try something different. I must say Chef's gallery is one of the few restaurants in Sydney in which I want to try EVERYTHING on the menu. Every one of them looked interesting in their own way, and they never seemed to disappoint me.

I loved how creative they can get, whether it's with the food...or the menu?! The interior and its designs just simply reminded you of Ancient China, back to some dynasty that's lost in time.

It was really busy today, and you can just imagine the crowd under this heat! So we started off the meal with one drink each...

 

Mango Splash (mango puree, aiyu jelly and soda) $4.90

This was the one I ordered, it totally cooled me down after drinking this. The mango flavour was strong, with aiyu jelly stuck at the top of the glass with some ice. I'd recommend this to anyone in a hot summer day, it's truly refreshing.


Crab meat spring rolls $7.90

We had our eyes landed on this particular little dish, probably because it was crab meat? Or perhaps it was the look of it, somehow just challenged our interpretation of the traditional spring rolls. This small dish actually came pretty quickly, and it was absolutely crunchy! The sauce went perfect with it as the hint of chilliness soak up the tip of the spring roll. Although the portion was quite small comparatively, we wished they were longer or they came in a serving of 6! Yeah, they can get addictive...


Traditional Dan Dan noodles with pork ribs $13.90

I remember my first time trying out Dan Dan noodles, and they weren't as great as I imagined. However, I was totally delighted with Chef's gallery's one, it was amazing! Not only that this was a popular choice and Chef's gallery is famous for its handmade noodles, but the flavour was so smooth. I found the soup had the perfect thickness, and both the noodles and the pork ribs immersed with the slight peanut taste. It was a little sweet, a little spicy, but everything was so well balanced in which made it enjoyable. I have to say this was probably my favourite out of all the dishes we've ordered!


Prawn and pork Wontons in a Sichuan Spicy soup $8.90

This evoked our curiosity with the word "Sichuan spicy soup", so we've ordered it despite the fact this could kill us in such hot weather. Sadly, it turned out not as spicy as we thought (or should I say thankfully!). But I found the filling of the Wontons were very satisfying, that whole bite of it just squeezed all the broth out. Then we got some green vegetables on the side to accompany the meat, and the sips of the actual soup were great too.


Eggplant served with a tangy minced pork sauce $12.90

We honestly thought this was Tofu when it arrived, but it was actually Eggplant!! (Serious?) I remembered this was a well known Chinese dish, so I was quite excited to try it. The Eggplant was very soft (just like tofu OMG) and the sauce went well with them. I think we all liked this little dish, it's probably not really noticeable on the menu but the taste was definitely appetizing.


Marshmallow "Totoro" coated with desiccated coconut $4.90

We all knew about the cute pig buns from Chef's gallery, but many seemed to omit the poor little bunnies! So we decided to order this "Totoro" marshmallow just to be different :P Well...it turned out they were just simple marshmallows LOL. They were nice for desserts, but I guess next time we probably still stick with the pig buns.


I would honestly recommend this restaurant to anyone who loves Chinese cuisine, it wasn't just the taste but also the creativity and thoughts they put into each of the dishes. I liked the ideas they come up and how it turned out to be just like artworks, it wasn't just about the flavours but also the visual impacts. So if you live in Sydney or if you are travelling in Sydney but yet haven't been there, do give it a try!


PS: HAPPY AUSTRALIA DAY!!!



Address:
Shop 12, Ground Level Regent Place Shopping Centre
501 George St, Sydney NSW

Phone number:
02 9267 8877

Opening time:
Lunch
Mon - Sun 11am - 3pm
Dinner
Mon - Sun 5pm - 10pm


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Ajisen Ramen - Hurstville

Not long ago, Ajisen Ramen opened another chain at Hurstville just opposite of the Station. Most of you would already know the restaurant, as they had one chain in Haymarket and another at World Square, and as well as worldwide.

Apparently some people I know really like this Ramen place, they said they loved the soup base and how thick it tasted. Bun and I tried both of the city chains before and we were just "so-so" about it...but since I love new things, here we are to try out the dishes at the Hurstville chain.


Drinks and Appetizers?

Unfortunately, a little incident happened at the start of the meal...First we decided to order a drink of orange juice, they said they didn't have it so we changed to Ice lemon tea. Then the waiter came to apologize that they didn't have the appetizer of Vege Tempura (Kakiage) either! In the end I think we just gave up so we've skipped the appetizer completely. I wasn't sure what happened at the kitchen that day, like maybe a lot of people ordered orange juice before us so they ran out? Or perhaps the equipments to make Vege Tempura has blown up? It was a little disappointing but we figured it wasn't that much of a big deal to get annoyed, so we quickly moved onto our main dishes.



Beef curry Ramen $10.95

Despite of the experience earlier, the Main dishes came out pretty fast. The Beef curry Ramen was just a little spicy, but you will definitely need that flavour to soak up the beef. I found the beef were cooked well, and sliced at the right level of thickness. Everything else matched up perfectly with the tastes, the only thing I found was that each component was a tiny bit more salty than what I imagined.

Ajisen yakisoba $9.95

This plate of Ajisen yakisoba was appetizing, but we found it was a little slimy comparing to all the other Yakisoba we had, perhaps because of slightly more oil? We still liked the dish though, and it was quite fulfilling too.


We found the quality of the food were not much different from the other two chains. So we felt it would really improve the service if they could put a label on the menu saying "Not available" or something, just so that the customers knew about it beforehand. Other than that, Ajisen Ramen in Hurstville was actually quite popular among students and families. The price is relatively cheap, and often people go there to grab a quick meal to fill up the empty stomaches!



Address:
270 Forest Road, Hurstville 2220

Phone number:
02 8065 9588

Opening time:
12pm - late


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Tan Viet Noodle House

Famous for its Crispy Chicken, it seems Tan Viet Noodle House in Cabramatta never ceased to have long waiting lines outside. When we got there just a little earlier than lunch time, the line was relatively shorter. It was a very hot day, but the people waiting there had such enthusiastic faces!



The interior was simple with blue walls, and the space was a bit bigger than I imagined. This place was full of people when we got in, although it wasn't too crammed due to its relatively bigger space (2 levels).

3 colours sweet $4.00

I ordered this drink just as I have always done in all other Vietnamese restaurants, simply because I can't get over the layers of different textures. It was icy and absolutely refreshing on such a hot day.



Crispy chicken served with Tomato rice $12.00

Here it comes! Both me and Bun ordered the legendary crispy chicken with tomato rice! We don't think we have ever tasted any chicken skin as this crispy before, every crunch made that delightful sound that's almost like the sound of swinging wind chime after a soft breeze. The meat was moist, extremely tender, and the portion was fair. We found the tomato rice was quite nice too, as it soaked evenly into the light tomato flavour and served at the perfect temperature.

We were both very full at 3/4 way of the dish, but the temptation to keep eating was too strong. So...it ended up with Bun having a very satisfied face just like in that picture. You can eat the crispy chicken with noodles too, it seemed just as delicious...too bad we were bloated, maybe next time.

Honestly, this place should really open after 7pm as well, I'm sure alot of the local people would love a quick supper there!


Address:
100 John St, Cabramatta NSW

Phone number:
02 9727 6853

Opening time:
Daily 9am - 7pm


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Pho An

I would recommend this as one of the best Pho place in Sydney to you, so pho sooooo gooood indeed.


Just check out the crowd here! Those people were eating, sniffling, and enjoying the warm soup and its chilliness.

Che ba mau $5.00

It has always been my favourite drink to go with the Pho, just because it's so refreshing. Each layer has different textures and tastes, mixed along with the sweetness of coconut flavour. Some are chewy and slippery, while the others are soggy. The 3 layers of colours form a pleasant visual presentation.


Here's the typical bean sprout plate, time to grab a handful and put into the Pho!





















Chin $12.00(medium), or $13.00(large)

oh this is how we started...
1: The plain pho with floating vegetables and clear soup, and the meat hiding underneath waiting to be found.

2. A sprinkle of fresh chilli instantly added colours to the bowl, now it's starting to look like flower and leaves.

3. The ultimate weapon of chilli sauce, we added a little bit to start off (thank god it was only a little bit) and this is when the excitement begins.

4. Then we added all the bean sprouts and mix mix MIX! We digged hard and let all the beef flip out, and this would be the time to start drooling, alot.


Any thoughts afterward? I think it was totally mouthwatering!



Address:
27 Greenfield Parade
Bankstown NSW

Phone number:
(02) 9796 7826

Opening time:
7 Days 7am - 9pm


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Reuben Hills

It's strange how we drove pass by this street about billion times but we just never managed to go through here during the day. Fortunately, today we went around this area in the morning and finally got here. As to what we imagined, there are people lining up outside already.

Initially we really thought the banner was bent or something, but then we figured it's meant to be like that. Talking about creativity?

The water bottle really made us feel like it was from a foreign country or something...like those alcohol bottles from Russia, and one sip will make you drunk forever. Now I can see why people love this place, especially young people. There are loud music and small amount of lighting and this rusty feeling about this place, so it was almost like having a brunch in your best friend's giant garage.

Expresso & White Choco Milkshake $7.50

Umm...this just tastes like coffee, coffee, and more coffee. I don't know if it was due to the fact this arrived at same time as the Salted Caramel Milkshake, in which made this drink a bit dull comparatively.

Salted Caramel Milkshake $7.50

I've heard different stories about this particular drink, so I decided to try it myself to make a comment. The first sip was like...it gave me wings and I'm flying to lalaland. No seriously, the Salted Caramel flavour immediately spread to every corner inside your mouth, and left you wanting more. I found it quite addictive, it's sweet but not too sweet which is good. The only thing was, I was so full after half way through and it was so sad that I had to give up the rest.
 
 
The NOT Reuben-Wagyu salt brisket, pickled slaw, melted manchego & horseradish cream $16.00

We saw the word "Wagyu" and we went for it! We found the beef was a little salty, and the horseradish flavour was quite different to what we used to eat...Despite all that, I actually quite like it because it was perfect size, and the cucumbers, carrots etc balanced well with the fat from the meat.
 
 
SOFT baked eggs with shaved jamon, wilted spinach, ranchero sauce & rye sourdough $16.00

Oops, please excuse the fact there isn't sourdough included in the picture...
Now onto this dish, so far the highlight of the meal! Like when I finished I just want to go "OMFG that was the most wonderful food ever made on Earth!" I loved it, totally. The eggs were SOFT (reeeally soft that is), gooey, and bring you to heaven with the mixture of burning sauce. The thin layer of that shaved jamon added extra tastiness, and the wilted spinach completes the whole dish perfectly. I couldn't say more, it was absolutely amazing!
 
 





Here's a photo from the back view, and people were talking and smiling and seemed like they really enjoyed their time there!


The only regret we have from Reuben Hills was that we didn't get to try "Doggs breakfast", the ice cream sandwich with salted caramel. *Long sigh* By the time we finish the two dishes, we were completely bloated so we couldn't fit anymore food into our hopeless stomaches. But never mind, we will definitely be back, and next time I will be prepared to try all the other dishes even if it means my stomach will explode.



Address:
61 Albion St, Surry Hills NSW

Phone number:
(02) 9211 5556

Opening time:
7 Days 7am - 4pm (Sunday opens at 8am)


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