MINI POT BURWOOD

WHERE: 117 Burwood Road, Burwood 2134 

 

C with her cousin 

Came here for V's birthday gathering on Saturday night with some beloved friends. Sydneys weather has been pretty chilly lately and  what better way to keep warm on a cool night than with an unlimited mini hot pot all to yourself! (Only $28.90 p/p).

We were all introduced to one of the staff that asked us if we knew how to use the Ipad to order our choice of flavoured stock. Chicken stock was offered for free on the menu and any other flavours, such as spicy beef, tomato based, trotter soup with peanut, lamb or pork intestine with chilli was charged $2.50-$3.80 extra.

Beef, lamb, fish balls, taro balls, seafood sticks.

Atmosphere: The setting was a nice small restaurant with booths and a few tables. Maximum people on a booth was catered to six and luckily we had the right amount of people. A variety of sauces was placed on a table with the meats and fish balls located in a fridge besides the table. Towards the back of the restaurant the vegetables, seafood and noodles were arranged in their own containers. As soon as we entered we noticed the entire restaurant was packed out, and had a lively feel.

Ratings
J: 8/10
C: 8/10


Service: C had originally booked dinner for 7pm but had this being pushed back to 8pm from the staff due to a busy night. We all arrived a little earlier and did not wait long for the next available table. We were seated around 7:45pm. While entering C noticed and found out how cute their uniforms were.  

The table tops for the pots were touch pads, which would not operate if liquid came into contact. C had ordered the chilli beef stew and was unaware of how chilli it was, so she added water. Later towards the night, our table was greeted by one of the staff offering free top up of chicken stock. This was a good idea with the lady coming around with a heavy kettle topping up all of our pots.  

It was known that this restaurant is mostly self served however we found it hard to locate items, such as tissues and bowls as it was difficult to eat on a mini plate which was given to us on our tables. 

We were notified for our last orders before closing. 

Mussels, fish, squid, quail eggs.

Ratings:
J: 6/10
C:7/10


Food: So many choices to choose from. We all loved the idea that it was unlimited and we tried to fit as many servings as we can on our metal trays.  One of the let downs was the fish balls that we thought which had the fish roe inside, but it turned out to be really dry. However the fish was really soft and tender once cooked. The benefit of having your own hot pot is to simply have what you like. So whether you like seafood, meat or just plain and simply vegetables, Mini Pot at Burwood will cater for your needs. The quality of all the ingredients were pretty good considering it was an all-you can eat buffet style service. 

Spicy Beef

Ratings: 
J: 8/10
C: 9/10


Much love from J and C

HONG HA BAKERY - MASCOT

WHERE: 1151 Botany Rd, Mascot NSW 2020   (02) 9667 2069

 

"Where da Hong Ha?" one might ask. Go no further to Botany Road in Mascot and you will be treated to one of both C & J's favorite quick bites, the Vietnamese Pork Roll. Hong Ha is also located in Hurtsville on Forest Road, but Mascot is where it all started.

Crispy, fresh bread, tasty creamy pate, pickled carrot, mayo, onion, coriander, shallots, chilli (optional), soya sauce, and cucumber, all this for only $5.

 Pork Roll $5

Chicken Roll $5

If you have ever indulged yourself in one of these Vietnamese delights, you know how tasty and delicious these little suckers are!

C has been to Hong Ha Bakery ever since she was only 4 years old, whilst J has never been to Hong Ha previously. Ever since he was introduced to this place he has always been itching for another mouth-watering bite.

It is not hard to spot Hong Ha, as most of the time you will be greeted by a long line leading up the street, filled with hungry customers eagerly waiting to plunge these almighty rolls into their belly's.

J waiting to get his munch on.

C & J were both at home when they both looked at each other and knew what they had to do. Destroy some rolls.

It was 3:30pm and J was hungry and decided to get 2 pork rolls and C decided to get a chicken roll. We wanted to also grab a juicy meat ball roll, but they were sold out. Meat ball roll is highly recommended as we have previously tried. It must be noted if you cannot handle your chilli, make sure you either advise the ever hard working ladies there to not put chilli or to only put a little. The chilli here will make you ball your eyes out, not even kidding.

Behind Hong Ha Bakery, is a car park. During busy times it will mostly be all occupied, however it is suggested if you go, it is best to go in the morning while the bread is fresh and parking is readily available. Whilst walking up the street, you will always see at least one other customer, happily diving their faces into one of these puppies. Go try one for yourself, and be the judge.

Much love from J and C.


 

PARAMOUNT COFFEE PROJECT: SURRY HILLS

WHERE: 80 Commonwealth Street, Surry Hills

WEBSITE: https://www.facebook.com/theparamountcoffeeproject

Paramount Coffee Project cafe is a collaboration between the owner of Reuben Hills', Russell Beard and Melbourne's Seven Seeds, Mark Dundon. C definitely attained the same feel from Reuben Hills, simple and polished. 

Last Sunday, J and C drove to a quiet street in Surry Hills. Last time we were in this area, we had not realised we walked passed this place on our way to Chur burger. We were wondering why it was so busy, unaware of the name of this place. C has been well aware of the hype around Paramount Coffee Project due to the vast amount of food posts on Instagram and knew exactly what to order, the soft shell crab burger (Crob Po Boy).

The menu was pretty limited, which is quite standard for most cafes. However we were opened to choices and J had to decide between the baked eggs, sweet waffles or the Open Cuban, which  had the ingredient kim chi which sparked J's curiosity.

 Crab Po Boy $18 (Soft shell crab, house slaw, ranch dressing on a bun.) 

Open Cuban $19 (Pork, Kim Chi, Bacon, Kewpie mayo, Swiss cheese and Onion rings.)  

SERVICE
We were both greeted by two female staff at the same time coming from different directions. Following one of the service staff who guided us to choose to sit near the window or on a long commercial stone table top with high stools. We chose to sit on the long table as no one was sitting in that space at that time.
The attendant asked what we wanted to drink and we ordered our usual coffees, a latte and a mocha. The coffees were pretty decent and had a good taste of roasted beans made by Reuben Hills. We are always in search of good coffee. 
One of our water cups was dirty, so we asked for a replacement. 

Ratings 
J: 8/10
C: 8/10

Latte and Mocha

ATMOSPHERE
The vibe of this joint was very calming and the decor looked very clean, modern, polished and bright with open wide spaces, with the backdrop further looking like a movie set. 

Ratings
J: 8/10
C: 8/10

FOOD 
The taste of the food did not live up to all the fuss. Presentation is clear, you see what you get. The Crab Po Boy was tasted nothing spectacular. It was lacking in taste as the bun was rather dry. The ranch dressing did no justice to the burger and the soft shell crab was quite flavorless and soggy. There was just something missing. It did not have that "zing" flavor and lacked seasoning. The result of it was quite plain. 
However the Open Cuban had more flavours however was nothing special for the price of $19. 
When comparing our dishes with other visitors who have tried the same thing, it was evident that the quality varied in appearance. 

Ratings
J: 3/10
C: 5/10

Looks may be deceiving. The food did not deliver our expectations. Overall disappointed and over hyped. Would not visit again or recommend. 


Much love J and C 

JONGA JIP EASTWOOD

JONGA JIP
WHERE: 87 Rowe Street Eastwood, NSW

Eastwood, a suburb filled with an abundance of korean restaurants is home to Jonga Jip, located next to Eastwood Hotel. If you are familiar with Korean cuisine, it is customary to be served side dishes (bahn chahn), such as kimchi. Jonga Jip, does not hold back in this regard and to your delight will be generously splurged with an array of over 10+ side dishes. Yay! That is probably one of the main reasons why many people come back to visit for more.

Most times when either J or C have been here, the restaurant is beaming with life and generally has a very fast and rapid turnover rate, and that Friday was no different.

In most cases, we would generally order some BBQ, consisting of beef-spare ribs & pork belly, however we decided to order simply Dweng Jang Chi Gae (Soy Bean Paste Soup) and Spicy Pork Belly.

Spicy Pork Belly $15

Soy Bean Paste Soup $13 (Tofu, Zucchini, Shallots, Seafood.) 

SERVICE
You will always be guaranteed a greeting from the moment you step foot into any Korean Restaurant. J and C were offered menus straight away and there is always a jug of water on the table that awaits us.
There was fast delivery of sides and our meals came out not long after. We were always given constant attention due to the amount of service staff that evening.

Ratings:
J: 8/10
C: 8/10  

ATMOSPHERE
We entered the restaurant around 8pm and it was full house and very smokey. The whole room was pretty loud with the majority of guests cooking BBQ.

Ratings:
J: 7/10
C: 8/10

FOOD
Having been here previous times before, we believe that the food quality has dropped tonight. J being Korean came to the conclusion that the Spicy Pork Belly does not taste as good as other Pork Belly we have tried. The meat seemed overcooked and dry. The Soy Bean Paste soup was also a disappointment because it was really watered down.


Ratings:
J: 6/10
C: 7/10

This is not to say that the restaurant has bad food but personally we believe it is best to order BBQ as we have tried this before and it was delicious.


Much love from J and C

TEA+ BURWOOD

WHERE: 258 Shop 9 Burwood Rd, Burwood NSW 2134 

02 8958 4264

WEBSITE: http://www.teaplusau.com/

This cute little store located in Burwood on the corner of a quiet street lies Tea+, which serves a variety of Taiwanese teas and snacks. Tea+ is a nice place to catch up with friends or to have a quick meal. The main reason we decided to visit was their infamous pot plant drink. 

Our first visit was two weeks ago when we ordered the Taro Milk Tea with foam and House Special Plant Milk Tea. The menu was written in Chinese, so we both assumed what the flavours were. Both of these drinks can be made hot or cold according to your

preference.  

When the server placed the drinks on our table he told us how to drink the beverages, which was drinking the foam along with the tea without using the straw. The combination of the tea, foam and crushed oreo pieces on top made it a bit strange to drink all at once. The foam had a hint of saltiness, just like Gong Cha tea franchise. http://www.gongchatea.com.au/ 

C quite liked the textured taste of both teas, however J was not fond of the saltiness that was hidden within the foam. The drinks were pretty huge which lined up our stomachs and made us feel pretty full before dinner time. 

Taro Milk foam $5.50 and Plant Milk Tea $5.80

C's second visit was with a friend R, who also wanted to try out the pot plant tea in Taro flavour. We noticed that a lot of the visitors ordered the Beef noodle soup, which looked really appetizing. R noted that she will order that dish next time she visits. 

                         Black Tea Matcha Milk Foam $5 and Taro Plant Milk Tea $5.80  

C was feeling rather peckish so she ordered the Crab Meat and Flying Fish Roe Tamago. C and R expected some rice filling inside, but was presented with a piece of omelette and was feeling a bit overwhelmed by the Japanese mayonnaise.

C later discovered that Tamago, or in other terms Tamagoyaki is a type of Japanese omelette, which is made by rolling together several layers of cooked egg.  

 

Crab Meat and Flying Fish Roe Tamago $7.00

 (egg, mayonnaise, cheese, corn, shredded crab sticks and fish roe.) 

Overall Tea+ is a friendly place to relax with its quiet atmosphere. It is definitely a place worth visiting with a small group of friends or perfect just for two!

Much love from J and C 

 

 

 

 

PAPA RICH CHATSWOOD

WHERE: 63A Archer St, Chatswood NSW 2067 

(02) 9411 3207 

WEBSITE: http://papparich.net.au/

Located in Chatswood lies the International Malaysian brand restaurant Papa Rich. There is plenty of parking at the shopping centre carpark which is free of charge for the first 2-3 hours. 

This would be our second time visiting this place after J's parents came here and told us about the recommendation. Last time we visited around dinner time but today we went around 4:00pm for a late Saturday afternoon feed. 

C has previously visited the same branch in Malaysia Penang and the setting looks exactly identical from the table setting, colours and dining atmosphere, just like she has clearly remembered. The look is very modern with open air spaces seating indoor connected to an outdoor area towards the front of the store.  There is also a children's play room. 

We were greeted by one of the staff to sit on one of the tables outside.  He asked us If we have been here before, as It works on a self order system where you write down the order number according to the dish you want on paper. After this has been done, there is a buzzer connected to the cutlery container to buzz one of the staff to collect the paper from you to process the order. The bill is given straight away, to show the customer what they have ordered and to eliminate any mistakes from orders if done so. 

There was plentiful of mouth watering choices on the menu and soon enough we were faced with tough decisions to make. We eventually decided to go for the Hainan Chicken Rice and Chicken Laksa. For drinks we chose Papa Cham (coffee + milk tea) and Ribena Melon.  J was assured that the Ribena Melon drink was one of his favourites after only trying two out of a whole list of other colourful drinks. 

We were surprised how fast our food got delivered. Estimated within less than 10 minutes wait. 

Papa Cham (Coffee and Milk Tea) $3.90

Ribena Melon $6.50 

(Coco jelly cubes, lychee, watermelon balls, ice.) 

Chicken Laksa 

(bowel of hokkien noodles, fish cake, eggplant, foo chok- beancurd skin, tofu puffs, dried onions, chicken, bean sprouts, mint in spicy coconut curry gravy.) 

Hainan Chicken Rice $12.50 

(Tender boiled chicken, fragrant chicken rice, bean sprouts, coriander, combination of chilli, ginger and dark soya sauce for dipping. Chicken stock soup on the side.) 

The boiled chicken was moist as it was cooked nicely and wasn't too dry. The rice had the right amount of chicken flavour.  

For dessert, we felt that we had enough room in our stomachs for something sweet. Saved the best till last, Banana Fritters. The fritters was soft on the inside and crunchy on the outside paired with vanilla ice cream on the side drizzled with caramel sauce on top. The fritters on their own tasted good and even better with the combination of both.  Remember to quickly eat it before the ice cream melts! 

Banana Fritter 

(Sugar banana, Vanilla ice cream, caramel sauce.) 

It wasn't so busy when I realised the line started to pick up after we left. This place is a must visit. We will definitely be returning back here sometime soon. Until then.. 

Much love from J and C.