I'm over half way through
Project Hunter. A work trip down to Melbourne and a busy few days meant that I only managed to eat in Hunter once during week four, so I'm combining weeks four and five into a single post.
I have now eaten at fourteen of the food stalls. This week saw me visit all new places that I haven't been to before.
My only trip to Hunter in week four saw me buy a
bento box ($8) from
Sushi Nagashima. This place comes across as being very authentically Japanese. There is a sushimi counter where you can select different fish to create your own sushimi platter. This is probably what I should have done, but instead I went for a chicken bento box. A nice selection of food, not quite sure the pasta and red kidney beans are particularly Japanese....
Next door is
Organic Produce where I picked up an
organic Thai red chicken curry ($9.50). This is probably the most expensive dish on sale in Hunter, albeit by not by a huge margin. They don't offer you a plate even if you eat in. The curry was nice with two tender chicken legs, but it tasted like they were using paste from a jar so it wasn't anything particularly special.
I'm not sure if the final two stalls are part of the main Hunter food court or not. They are in a little annex at the southern end, physically separated by a retractable glass door and with different staff cleaning the tables. However, this is my challenge and I've ruled they are included.
I had my second
beef Pho ($7) of the challenge from
Pho Na Noi. They have a selection of six or seven different types of Pho. I enjoyed the broth and there was a generous amount of beef. I can see myself ordering this again.
My final visit to Hunter of the week saw me order
stir fried vegetables, black pepper pork and tender beef ($6.50) from
Top One Kitchen. There was eager and friendly service and they seemed to have a band of regular followers who were making a beeline for the out of the way stall. I found the black pepper pork quite one dimensional in flavour, but the other two dishes were good. I thought
Top One provided the best value for money I've had so far.
I found
this article in the SMH slating
Pho Ha Noi and
Top One for their food hygiene. I didn't get ill, so hopefully they've reformed their ways!
Had lunch at one of the Korean places in the Hunter last week & couldn't eat the fried chicken as it was sour in the middle. Tasted a bit rancid. Don't remember what the name was but its a few place up from Bangkok Wok. I also read that Hong Hai Noodle Bar has had warnings from the health dept quite a while back
ReplyDeleteI LOVE the Organic Produce Cafe (if it's the same one as in Surry Hills and they also have a spot at Bondi Westfield). Next time try their protein salad and the dandelion latte, Delicious!!
ReplyDeleteI think they are part of the chain. Once I've finished the challenge I'll go back for the Protein Salad and let you know what I think!
ReplyDelete