Finally managed to find the time to drag Husband out for breakfast! We left early enough to hopefully beat the traffic in the CBD due to the light rail road works and score a free parking spot almost directly outside the cafe.
Unfortunately caught Husband on one of his healthy days so we had to forgo the signature Matcha Pancakes that I wanted to order.
Vietnamese Iced Coffee, $5 and a Skim Piccolo, $3.50
Double Bacon and Egg Roll, with Garlic Aoili, $9
Despite objections from me, Husband decided to go with this simple roll for breakfast… and BAE can never really do any wrong.
Crunchy Potato Rosti, with smoked salmon, $16
Loved the surprise addition of parsley inside the rosti, although it could have had a bit more crunch factor to it. The was also some saffron Hollandaise that tasted amazing.
There is ample street parking outside the cafe, and you should be able to score a table during most of the day, as there was a pretty quick turn over.
Le Monde
83 Foveaux Street,
Surry Hills, Sydney, NSW
So, who actually still remembers how to blog… because I’m pretty sure I’ve forgotten. But I guess blogging is like a diet, you can never start too many times.-__-”
I have had Blackwood Pantry on the to-eat list for a while now. Ever since the Instafoodie event about 7 months ago. So I muscled down, and dragged some friends with me for the long drive down to Cronulla. Leaving the house at 8am in the morning was a brilliant idea, as by the time we got down there the area was already buzzing. We managed to score the last free table, so luckily didn’t have to wait to fill our already grumbling bellies.
Coffees from The Grounds to start, $3.50
Fremantle Grilled Octopus, $24
Slow cooked octopus, spiced carrot hummus, chickpea, toasted pumpkin seed, Dutch carrots, paprika oil and Fennel salad. The octopus was a little too salty for me, but otherwise it was so tender and juicy. The carrot hummus went well with the tentacle. Definitely recommend this dish.
Tigers Milk Salmon ceviche, $23
I was torn when I saw this dish being placed in front of me. 1) It looks amazing. 2) It looks tiny. This dish really does taste as amazing as it looks. The salmon had a certain creaminess to it. If you’re made of money, and also trying to avoid a carby dish, this is it. It was worth the try, but I think next time I’d order something a bit more substantial, especially after driving more than an hour!
Morning Glory, $20
With scrambled eggs, chorizo, tandoori roasted sweet potato, kale, pickled red onion, whipped goat cheese and avocado, this dish did well to help fill out my stomach after the salmon ceviche. The sweet potato was a real treat! Nothing I’ve tried before, and I might have to give it a whirl at home.
Blackwood Pantry might just be worth the drive down! The vibe and decor are awesome, and the staff are all smiles and its a really nice place to start the day!
On Friday 27th March, The Food Zoo was invited to Bistro’s Hulu’s first anniversary party. Say what? I have never even noticed this place! Situated on Liverpool St and tucked away in a tiny shop front behind the Three Monkey’s Bar, this little Chinese restaurant has a lot to offer!
After a lengthy chat with restaurant owner Rosetta, we understand that Bistro Hulu is genuinely passionate about bringing the best of traditional Chinese cooking and delivering it to Sydney foodies with a modern and innovative twist. The first year has been slow but they have really started to take off! Unfortunately I don’t have all food photos from the night (stomach was hungrier than the camera this time) but sit back and enjoy the photos that my camera did manage to capture first!
Steamed chicken with Chilli Oil and Shallots
Super tender and juicy steamed chicken – this was my favourite dish of the night with just the right [light =P] amount of chilli and fresh shallots.
Canapés – Duck Smoked in Oolong Tea
One of the better smoked duck’s I’ve tasted in my time. Well and thoroughly smoked but not too overpowering which normally happens when tea-smoked duck is served. This was also highly rated by other foodies that night!
Canapés – Soft Shell Crab, Aberdeen Style
I am a complete sucker for garlic – and this soft shell crab was just covered in that stuff… Win!! I’m actually not quire sure what Aberdeen style is meant to mean though… Quick search online seems to reveal cooking centered around butter, garlic, salt and pepper. Can anyone please verify this?!
Canapés – Goji Berry and Osmanthus Jelly
Last but not least, what would a meal be without some dessert or something sweet?! I loved the light fruity/floral taste and the solid jelly texture. Seems healthy too! Double win for the night.
Live music – Thanks Danielle!
Congrats again and Happy Birthday Bistro Hulu! Wishing you the most success for the future. And some news for you North Shore-ans: Bistro Hulu is coming to Crows Nest in May 2015!
Hope you all enjoyed the post and sorry if you’ve seen them on Instagram already (@thefoodzoo).
Located in the yuppie populated suburb of Waterloo, Pu’er is a contemporary Chinese tea house serving unique dim sum and share dishes along with exceptionally high quality tea imported from China.
Tonight was our first visit and we were shown to our table by Quinton, our charming host for the evening. The first thing that caught our eyes were the beautifully crafted ceramic tables, each hand painted and imported from China. They were to provide a nice backdrop to the beautifully presented dishes to come that night.
1995 Loose Leaf Premium Yunnan Pu’er, $9
First order of business, the entrees and they came with 3 sauces; soy, dark vinegar, and Sriracha chilli.
Mushroom Pot Stickers, $7
These didn’t look like traditional pot stickers, more like softly pan fried mini glutinous buns. Taking a bite into them, they had the texture of savoury mochi balls filled with a perfectly cooked mixture of 3 kinds of mushrooms (shiitake, champignon and straw). They went beautifully with the dark vinegar and a dab of sriracha.
Gyoza, $10
Our second entree arrived shortly, Gyozas with a serving of 6 along with pickled ginger. They were very much like Gyozas you get from any good Japanese restaurants, and they were delicious.
From the Street Food section, we ordered 2 plates.
Hong Kong Mini Burgers, $15
The Hong Kong Mini Burgers were very unique. A small piece of pork schnitzel with house smoked chilli paste, hoisin sauce, and baby cress were wedged between two pieces of mantao, deep fried to a golden brown.
BBQ Duck Tacos, $16
More a bao than a taco, but we aren’t complaining, just trying to discover the secret ingredients to their ‘secret mayonnaise’, that went so well with the duck, shaved cucumber, and spring onions. Probably the highlight of my night!
The shared plates were to follow, and dislike for the dishes is bound to happen when you let your guests pick them!
Caramelised Berkshire Pork Belly, $24
There’s nothing like some Pu’er and spice infused with tea eggs that reminds me of home, and mother’s cooking! The pork was not too fatty served with a sticky, sweet sauce. It really wasn’t as heavy as a dish as it looks!
Twice Cooked Shandong Chicken, $29
Admittedly the chicken was more than just a little bit dry. Perhaps we would have more readily wolfed the dish down if it had been served near the start of the meal, but being the last dish served, we really expected a little bit more from it to really end the night well. In saying that however, we did manage to still polish off the dish, despite the generous portion of half chicken!
Berry Sling, $17
Something for me to wash it all down with, after a recommendation from Quinton, and a good recommendation it was!
No meal is complete without desserts!
Coconut & Kaffir Lime Leaf Sorbet, $10
The sorbet was served in a young coconut, with coconut water, and black sticky rice. We were told that this is the most popular dessert, and the best they had on the menu and it was definitely a good choice. Apparently the order is to start on the right, and move left, but we found that creating a gigantic mash of everything together also worked well. The sorbet was light and refreshing and mixed perfectly with the black sticky rice, with the coconut water helping to wash it all down.
Red Bean Donuts, $10
With the coconut and kaffir lime sorbet being the most popular, we were also told that this was probably the least tastiest of the four choices on the menu. Determined that our initial choice was the correct one, we went ahead and ordered it, but alas, we were proven right, yet again! Lucky for me though, as I am not that big of a fan of red bean. There was a tiny amount of red bean in the centre, that any lover of it would have been disappointed by. Not a bad way to end the night!
The Food Zoo 