RHODES PHOENIX YUMCHA

WHERE: 2 Rider BLVD Rhodes, NSW.

Located on top of Rhodes shopping centre lies Phoenix yumcha. There are many other Phoenix branches including: Hilltop, Parramatta, Rhodes and Manly. 

The wait was not too long on a weekday. However on weekends, it could be at least a half an hours wait. 

As we sat down, so many offers were presented to us on trolly carts which continuously kept on coming before we even had time to start on eating.

The tea we ordered was chrysanthemum.

Many variety of dishes. The chicken feet were probably the best chicken feet tasted compared to other yum cha places we have been to, as the sauce was thick and not as watered down. We did not take note how much each dish costs, but the total amounted to $42.50 for 5 dishes, which is approx $8.00 per dish (including tea.) 

 

Steamed Prawn Dumpling  (Har Gow)

 

Chicken Feet and Dim Sims 

 

Rice Noodle Roll (Fried with dipping sauce or Steamed, usually filled with pork or prawn.)   Cheong Fun

 

Much Love J and C 

TWISTED NOODLE BAR

WHERE: 44/1 Dixon St, Sydney, NSW, 2000  (02) 9267 2327

WEBSITE: www.twistednoodlebar.com.au/

Twisted noodles really gets you twisted with your choice of level of spiciness and sourness. This is a place to go if you dare to try some tasty Hong Kong style noodle soup.  Perfect for any winters day, especially knowing how cold Sydney is at the moment. 

We have ordered Yunnan Noodle and Lijiang Noodle which comes with two pieces of wings and a sliced sausage. The spicy and sour level is small, which is quite spicy already. If you can take your chilli well, then why not go for a medium but small is a good level that doesn't send you to cough-ville. (We heard at least 3 people coughing due to the chilli).

 

 

Hong Kong Style Coffee Milk Tea $3.80 

Honeydew Ice Tea $3.50  

 

Chicken Wing and Sausage 

Pig Ears

 NO 5 (TOP) Yunnan Noodle

Pork, soy sauce egg, beef, sausage, mushroom, bean sprouts, chives, tofu. 

NO 6 (BOTTOM) Lijang Noodle

Soy sauce egg, bean sprouts, chives, tofu, chicken  wings and sausage. 

 

The drinks we ordered included, Hong Kong style milk coffee and honeydew tea, which are both really refreshing and tasty. 

C loves pigs ears so we decided to order some as a side. J has personally never tried it, however gave it a go for his first time. The texture was chewy and was quite tasty. 

Overall, don't come here expecting 5 star service, more so a place where you can get some tasty noodles with a spicy bite! There are better restaurants out there, however personally we both find the soup delicious and would definitely come back for more. 

 

We topped it off with a waffle from Oliver Brown. 

 

 

Much love J and C 

 

 

 

 

TAKUMI

WHERE: Shop R3.02B,Market City/9-13 Hay St, Haymarket NSW 2000

One of our favourite sushi train restaurants.

$3 for all plates or $2.50 for students or visitors who have parked in  the centre. 

 

Deep Fried Prawn Tempura 

Sashimi Sushi

Grilled Scallops 

Chicken and Cheese with Sweet Chilli Sauce 

Octopus 

Tuna with spicy sauce 

Squid 

Udon with karaage chicken 

Ending with ice cream later for dessert 

Much Love J and C 

Sol.Cafe

WHERE: Shop 5 2 Old Northern Road, Baulkham Hills, NSW, 2153  (02) 9639 8683

WEBSITE: https://www.facebook.com/sol.cafe.fresh

 

 With food on both our minds, we were in search of a cafe which could deliver not only quality food, but not require 30 minutes to get there. 

Deciding where to eat is not everyone's strong suit, especially for us, so we decided to rely on our trusty friend Google, Phew! 

A number of hits came up, however C noticed some good reviews for a fairly new cafe, Sol.Cafe - only opened about a couple of years ago, after learning from one of the owner's Soleil.

The cafe is located on the main road so you will not be able to park in front of it, but do not fear, as Stocklands Mall is located close-by. J was quite amazed as he has driven past on many occasions, not realizing or noticing, what Soleil happily referred to as "Baulkham Hills hidden secret". 

We entered around 2:30pm so luckily we just missed the quite busy lunch period, and were greeted by the very friendly joint owner. She kindly ushered us to our seats and mentioned they were just tidying up after a busy lunch. The cafe has a outdoor courtyard with some tables outside and a trendy interior. 


We gazed at our menu's and to our surprise had an all-day breakfast menu, which is a plus one in my books! We were asked if we wanted anything to drink and originally we decided to order our standard coffee's however we noticed a very mouth watery option, which was the Banana, Honey and Cinnamon Smoothie. We even ordered another to go when we left. (This is a MUST order, most delicious drink EVER) 

Banana, honey and cinnamon smoothie $8.00

 Mocha $3.50

Everything on the menu sounds so appetizing and it wasn't easy work choosing what to order. We opted for Baked Eggs, which comes with spinach, eggs and added options such as bacon and avocado for an additional $4 each and the Hills Burger, which included an Australian beef patty, Mesclum lettuce, signature capsicum chutney, aoli on a sesame bun, with a side of chips. 

Hills burger (house made beef patty, mesclun lettus, sol's signature capsicum chutney, aioli, sesame bun w/ side of fries) $16 

Baked eggs (2 fresh farm eggs cracked into a clay dish with ranchero sauce, smoked ham, spinach & finished with parmesan cheese) $16 

w/ bacon $4

w/ avocado $4 

Personally, many restaurants/cafes pride themselves with only quality food, however neglect service and connecting with their customers, the staff here are ultra friendly and we even over heard them asking another customer for any advice or tips to help improve their "baby". After dining here, we both give Sol.Cafe two big thumbs up, food tasted nice - price was reasonable and the use of their fresh produce was apparent whilst inhaling our food. 

A cafe which you would most commonly find towards the busy end of Sydney, has found a home in Baulkham Hills and both J & C are delighted we have a delicious option to rely on if we are in the area. 

Anyway, you've heard enough from us - why don't you try it for yourselves!

Much Love J & C

MoVida SURRY HILLS

WHERE: 50 Holt St, Surry Hills, NSW, 2010  (02) 8964 7642

WEBSITE: http://movida.com.au/sydney/


It was Friday night and it was between two choices, either Ms G's or MoVida. We decided to go for the much hyped trendy restaurant known as MoVida. MoVida, which was originally started in Melbourne, made the move to the streets of Surry Hills in Sydney. 

J has not been to many Spanish restaurants and did not know what to expect but was excited to try something new. 

The restaurant was buzzing with life, we were greeted by staff advising we had to wait approximately 30 minutes before we would be ushered to a table as there were a couple of people waiting. We were offered a seat in-front of the fish tank directly in front of the kitchen. We were offered menu's and waited about 15-20minutes before we ordered something to curb the long wait. 

We were confused with what to order as the menu had Spanish names according to portion size, however we decided to order a couple of entree's, which included "Tabla De Embutidos" which was a selection of Spanish small goods and "Croqueta De Jamon Iberico" which was a fancy way of naming croquettes. 

 Tabla De Embutidos (Selection of Spanish small goods) $29.50

The croquettes were cooked to perfection. The outer batter was crispy and the inside was creamy and smooth. The Tabla De Embutidos was quite simple, and consisted of salami, sausage and prosciutto. For the hefty price of $29.50 the dish was under par. 

Croqueta De Jamon Iberico (2 Pieces) $8.50

After waiting over 30 minutes we almost gave up hope in thinking we would get a table, staff would simply walk past us without asking if we needed assistance. Finally after sometime we were offered to sit on a table. 

We ordered, Chicharones (Crispy pork jowl with seared scallops and fried kipflers), Costilla De Buey (Slow cooked Angus Short-Rib with pine mushrooms) and Cecina (Air Cured Wagyu Beef with Truffle Foam and Poached Egg) as well as a jug of Sangria.

 Sangria Jug $39

Our first dish which arrived was the Cecina, was not what we pictured, however the flavour combination worked quite well. To be honest, we were expecting a steak like dish however ended up looking like a thin slice of salami we previously had as an entree. 

Cecina (Air cured Wagyu Beef with Truffle Foam & Poached Egg) $24.50

Next to come to the table was the Chicharones. The pork was crispy and the jowl was soft and had a sticky texture. By this point we were beginning to get quite full, even though the portion sizes aren't big. The final dish that arrived was the Costilla De Buey. Not too sure whether or not we liked this dish due to the fact we were quite full, however personally i would not order it next time. 

 Chicharones (Cripsy Pork Jowl with Seared Scallops & Fried Kiplers) $19.50

 Costilla De Buey (Slowed Cooked Angus Short- Rib with Pine Mushrooms) $24.50

Overall, when we were seated the service was quite good and the atmosphere was quite nice, however sad to say i would not say MoVida lives up to the hype. Be prepared to order a few dishes as the portion sizes are relatively small at a generous price. 

Much Love from J and C