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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Batch Burgers & Espresso

There's something fascinating about the traditional American diner style, the New-York themed café and its giant sized burgers. With half of the area inside "Batch Burgers & Espresso" being occupied by the kitchen and constant sizzling aroma crawling to the street outside, the friendly waitress showed us our high bar seats right in front of our chefs for the night.

The menus were almost like they were stamped onto the tables, displaying their impressive list of burgers with familiar names such as Brooklyn and the Miami, and as well as a whole range of side dishes. The workers smiled and greeted their customers, occasionally having a small chat about foot ball and Saturday night drinks. Multiple numbers of takeaway bags filled up the kitchen tables, lining up and shuffling in the speed of light. The chunky mince patties flashed right before our eyes, accompanied by a whole bunch of fries dancing in the frying spots. It was hot, and certainly appealing for a Saturday night dinner along with lively American Hip Hop beats on the background.




Snacks - Chilli Fries $7.00

We had never thought fries could come in this form, where it's covered by small and chopped up pieces of mince along with cheese and spicy sauce. The mixture turned out surprisingly zesty, and every mouthful was full of flavours. Bun loved it, so there goes 3/4 of the bowl. I would certainly recommend this, and it's probably more enjoyable when shared with someone.





Burgers - Spicy Mexican $14.00

While we sat there, I think we heard about 3 others ordering this same burger, so it got to be GOOD! This humongous burger contained chilli mince, smoked cheddar, tomato, Spanish onion, Jalapenos & sour cream with hot taco sauce, so it was an absolute masterpiece I must say. The burger was so big that I found it very difficult to fit into the bite of my little mouth, so I had to slice it apart and watched the precious cheese and mince fell and splat on the plate. The buns has done a good job trying to hold each layer properly in place, despite the obvious observation that the chunky mince patty wanted to shoot out desperately. The Mexican flavour has immersed into this burger perfectly in every single way, and it was just so satisfying to chomp it all down and enjoy that flame left in your mouth.





Very unfortunately, I was way too full after 3/4 way of the burger, and I felt so sad to leave that very little piece behind. We laughed at the mess that I have made on my plate, with bits of cheese and mince tangled together and looked as if they'd come alive in any minute and start wiggling. We were satisfied, more than 200%.

This place will be awesome to come with a bunch of friends to have a quick catch up before heading down to the town for a big night, and you can even start your pre-drinks here if you want. I imagined this place will probably be in a totally different atmosphere if you come for breakfast or lunch, and we have to say the breakfast menu looks pretty welcoming! (NEXT TIME!! ho hum)


Address:
2/3A Broughton Street, Kirribilli NSW

Phone number:
02 9929 8883

Opening time:
7days 7am - 10pm


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Lord of the fries

The moment we walked into this small takeaway shop, we were overwhelmed by the size of the crowd. Yes, this was "Lord of the fries"! They were fresh and not frozen, with less fat, skin on, and cooked in quality oil. Started as a food truck venture in Melbourne all the way back in 2004, they have then arrived at one of Sydney's busiest street, George Street, just a little while ago.



Before we even visited here, I had my eyes locked on the "French Canadian" deluxe sauce. The sound of shredded CHEESE and hot GRAVY was just too hard to resist, we could almost picture it with drools coming out of our mouth.

Large fries $6.95 + French Canadian sauce $2.50 (Shredded cheese + hot gravy) Total $9.45

When we finally got it...well...I don't know. Shall I say it was a little disappointing? The fries didn't taste that special to me, it was like something in between hot chips and hot wedges. Not too crunchy and yet not too soggy, and we didn't taste much of the skins. As much as we loved the magnificent sauce combination, this box with a price tag of $9.45 in total could still be quite overpriced in comparison.


Every time we walk pass by, there was still a line outside waiting for the freshly made fries. With people smiling and laughing everywhere, we still believe a lot of them indeed loved the fries. However, we just can't really see ourselves going there over and over again just for the fries. Perhaps we can try something else next time??


Address:
537 George Street, Sydney

Opening time:
10am - late



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