Restaurant Review: Caysorn, China Town, Sydney

Kao Yum

Oh my this place is hot! This ferang boy went bright red and was mopping his brow. I haven't eaten such spicy food since the ferocious street stall laab ped I ate on Phahonyothin Road in Bangkok.

Caysorn has been on my wish list to visit ever since I read Helen's review back in November. I didn't think I'd have time to visit this new Thai eatery. However, a welcome lunch break during a hard day of packing gave me the opportunity to check it out.

I'd heard that the restaurant had a reputation for being very spicy. When we ordered the waitress simply warned us the food was hot. There was no offer to tone down the heat levels, that's just the way it is.

We hoped to order the green mango salad but it wasn't available so we opted for the Kau Yum ขัาว ยำ ($8.90). A plate of jasmine rice, dried shrimp, roasted coconut, bamboo shoots, jack fruit and a number of other goodies. We were advised to give it all a good mix, stirring in the accompanying sauce.

I had a quick taste of the sauce which wasn't too hot so added the lot. What I didn't know was that all the chilli had sunk to the bottom! It was a tasty and interesting mix, but a little too spicy for me.

Kanoon Jeen Tai Pla  (grilled fish, cashew nuts and vegetables)

Next up was the signature Kanoon Jeen, a southern style curry. We ordered the Kanoon Jeen Tai Pla แกอ ไต ปลา ($5.50). The grilled fish curry with cashew nuts and vegetables is a total bargain at under six dollars, especially as it includes the salad bar.

The curry was ferociously hot. Spice I don't mind (even if it does make me go scarlet) as long as it is matched with flavour. The overwhelming (only?) other flavour was distinctly fishy. I can't report to be a fan.

 Southern pork curry with young jack fruit and kaffir lime

My favourite dish was the Southern pork curry with young jack fruit and kaffir lime leaves ($13.50). The lime leaves cut through the curry providing a lovely zing.

I hadn't tried Southern Thai food before my visit to Caysorn. The food was distinct from the Bangkok / Isaan fayre that I'm used to. I'd love to go back, making sure I asked for some recommendations of dishes that aren't quite as spicy!

Caysorn
Shop 106 - 108a, Level 1
8 Quay St 
Sydney
2000

Meat pie taste off!

Pie Face Steak Pie

At the end of our bánh mì taste test we decided that a Top Aussie lunchtime snack would be next. Does it get any more Australian than the meat pie?

I picked up a couple of contenders from Pie Face and Simon collected the rivals from Mick's Bakehouse.

Mick's Bakehouse - steak pie

First up were the steak pies.

Mick's bakehouse ($5.90) had superior pastry and a thicker gravy which made it easy to cut and share. It seemed to be a mixture of mince and pieces of steak (which had been cut reasonably fine). There was a lot of pepper in the pie which I found a little overwhelming.

Pie Face ($5.75) had a wetter gravy which made it messy to eat. The pie had larger chunks of steak which felt more substantial. Pepper was also the dominate flavour, but there was less than in Mick's pie which was my preference.

Round one to Pie Face.

Mick's Bakehouse - chicken pie

Next up where the chicken and mushroom pies.

The pie from Mick's Bakehouse again had superior pastry and a thicker consistency which made it easy to eat and share. I preferred the flavour of Mick's pie too.

The pie of the day goes to Mick's Bakehouse.

Snag Stand - Backyarder

All pied out, but still hungry we headed to the Snag Stand to pick up a couple of hot dogs.

We started with the Backyarder ($8.90) a beef dog with coleslaw and cheese. I wasn't a fan of this snag. The coleslaw and cheese was an odd combination. Perhaps it would have been better if the cheese was melted?

Snag Stand -Toulouse

The Toulouse ($10.90) was next up after receiving a recommendation that it was one of their most popular hot dogs.

The pork sausage is served with onions, mushrooms and truffle aioli on a brioche bun. It was a good dog although not as spicy as a classic Toulouse should be. The brioche bun was too sweet for me.

It was a rather filling lunch in the end! The snags were an unexpected bonus and fitted in with our Top Aussie theme. However, it was all about the pies for me. Pie Face and Mick's Bakehouse were pretty closely matched, with Mick just stealing it.


Mick's Bakehouse
188 Pitt St
Level 5, Westfield Sydney
NSW, 2000


Snag Stand
188 Pitt St

Level 5, Westfield Sydney
NSW, 2000


Pie Face
109 Pitt St
Sydney
NSW, 2000

Restaurant Review: Deli Bottega, Bondi

My final full week in Sydney was about as cramming as much in as possible. I was burning the candle at both ends and loving every minute of it.

My running friend Kendall suggested a drink at Icebergs to start off the week. Sadly they are closed on Mondays. However, the thought of a final trip to the beach had me hooked, so on the Wednesday night Kish and I headed out to Bondi.

We started with a drink at Icebergs. Practically deserted we had our pick of seats (and egg shape capsules hanging from the ceiling) from which to soak up the views of Bondi. Panoramic views of the beach are unfortunately interupted by the high number of pillars in the room.

After reading enthusiastic reviews from Tori, Bondi Hardware was on my wish list for dinner. However, I baulked at the idea of a forty five minute wait. Deciding to check out other local options we stumbled upon the busy looking Deli Bottega. It was a fortuitous find.

Luckily another couple were just leaving and the friendly waiters soon has us seated. One of the waiters pulled up a chair to our table, talked us through the menu and all of the special dishes. It could have been overly familiar, but instead fitted in with a relaxed, yet knowledgeable, style of service.

We ordered largely from the specials menu, starting with the Kingfish crudo with chilli, ponzu, avocado and crouton crumbs ($22). I've no idea how they packed so much intense olive oil flavour into the crouton crumbs, but I'm pleased they did. The croutons provided the main textural element to the dish and added an enhanced flavour. There was sufficient chilli to keep things interesting too.

 

Seared scallops with granny smith apple and green papaya coleslaw

Next to come out of the kitchen was the Seared scallops with granny smith apple and green papaya coleslaw ($22). The scallops were perfectly cooked. However, neither Kish or I could detect much green papaya in the coleslaw. 

The scallops found themselves eclipsed during the evening by the Kingfish and Zuchinni. More a reflection on how good the other dishes were, rather than a poor reflection on the scallops.

 

Zuchinni salad with olive, onions, persion feta, tomato and lemon olive oil

The Zuchinni salad with olive, onions, persion feta, tomato and lemon olive oil ($16) was the star dish of the evening. The ribbons of zuchinni were given a freshness by the lemon olive oil. The impossibly fine dice of olive provided bite and the feta a richness. A wonderfully balanced dish that left us wanting more.

Crispy pocket of egg, pepper and tuna on green salad 

Our final plate was an opinion divider. I enjoyed the Crispy pocket of egg, capsicum and tuna on green salad ($16), but Kish wasn't as much of a fan. Tasting the components in isolation I could see her point. However, if you had a bite of the (not so crisp) pocket, salad and dressing together it worked quite well for my palate. Yes, the capsicum flavour dominated and it would have been nice of the salad leaves has been dressed rather than put on the plate bare, but I kinda liked it.

Deli Bottega is a fun and quirky little venue. The friendly and attentive staff and high quality dishes coming out of the kitchen make this place one to remember next time you are in Bondi. Which for me sadly might be quite some time unfortunately....


Deli Bottega
144-148 Glenayr Avenue
Bondi Beach
NSW
2026

Restaurant Review: Runcible Spoon, Camperdown

Over dinner at Bakery Nights, Lucie suggested that I add Runcible Spoon in Camperdown to my wish list.

I feared I wouldn't have time to visit Runcible Spoon before I left Sydney, but a hastily arranged lunch with friends provided the perfect opportunity. My friends ended up bailing but I decided to visit solo anyway. I'm pleased that I did.

The hard concrete lines of the modern cafe are softened by an ample number of plants in an eclectic array of containers. It was a bit of a hipster hangout, but not offensively so.

I sadly arrived too late for the special Cinco de Mayo menu but I liked the idea that they had one at all.

I found the chalk board menus slightly hard to follow. The breakfast and lunch dishes weren't clearly distinguished. I presume everything is served all day?

I was drawn to the Thai style eggs with nam jim, tomato, pork belly and jasmine rice ($18). While waiting for my order feared I could be in for a horrible interpretation of Thai food. Thankfully that wasn't the case.

Two fried eggs were served on a salad with a fragrant nam jim dressing. Accompanied by pork belly with a spicy crust and rice on the side made it a hearty meal.

The two tear drop shaped eggs were joined together at the top and had an almost batter like crust along one edge. It made me think that they could have been poached and then flash fried in very hot oil? However they did it, there was a lot of technique shown across the whole plate.

I'm pleased that I made it to Runcible Spoon. If the rest of the menu is as good as the Thai style eggs then this cafe would be a real treat. Just a shame I won't be in Sydney long enough to find out....


Runcible Spoon
27 Barr St 
Camperdown 
NSW 
2050

Restaurant Review: Little Star Eat House, Sydney CBD

The western side of Wynyard has raised it's game significantly in the last six months. York Lane, Double Barrel coffee house and the Little Star Japanese Eat House have all opened within fifty metres of each other.

A quick lunch with Dolly gave me the opportunity to try Little Star. Asking the young Japanese man behind the counter to recommend his favourite soup I went for his choice of the Tan Tan Ramen ($13.50).

Tan Tan noodles are the Japanese intrepretation of Sichuan Dan Dan noodles I enjoyed at the Chinese New Year celebrations.

The noodles came served with a healthy amount of minced pork, sweetcorn, greens and a couple of slices of fish cake. You could tell the ramen was slightly thicker than your average noodle soup, but the chilli prevented you from appreciating it's full flavour. I did enjoy the chilli though. There seemed to be the perfect amount so you got a little bit of heat in each mouthful without it over powering.

At $13.50 Little Star is a little too expensive for an everyday lunch. As a little treat it is well worth it.

Restaurant Review: Rockpool Bar and Grill, Sydney

I'm currently in a whirlwind of trying to pack as much as possible into my final few days in Sydney. Catching up with friends, taking a final dip in the sea and of course eating!

Simon suggested a visit to Rockpool Bar and Grill and a group of us duly descended to try what is tipped to be Sydney's best burger.

Tucked into a corner off the main restaurant, the bar has a classic and sophisticated feel. The first page of the menu contains a list of etiquette on how to behave.

No hooting or hollering

Gentleman, do not approach ladies, and if you are so lucky as to have one approach you, endear her as you would your mother.

Love it.

Ever since burger project I can no longer eat a burger I have to taste and dissect it in the hunt for burger perfection.

For lunch I selected the Greenham Grass Fed Hamburger with Bacon, Gruyere Cheese
and Zuni Pickle ($18). The pattie was tender and flaovursome. For me, the major success of the burger was the bun. The toasted bun was soft, light and had hints of sweetness. Definitely one of the better buns I've eaten.

I found the burger a slightly awkward size. A little too big to eat with your hands. But no matter how sophisticated the bar, eating a burger with a knife and fork just feels a little wrong..... I didn't take much from the elaborate pickles.

Simon ordered the trademark David Blackmore’s Full Blood Wagyu Hamburger
with Bacon, Gruyere Cheese and Zuni Pickle ($24). The main difference between the two burgers is the pattie with most of the other ingredients being the same.

From my small taste of the pattie I did not think it was any more tender than my grass fed burger. The meat of the grass fed burger was more flavoursome too.

Having tried both burgers before Tina opted for the House Made Chorizo Dog with Jalapeno Hot Sauce ($19). The hot dog looked divine and Tina made the big call that it is even better than the burgers.

I'm pleased that I made it to Rockpool. The bar is a swish, if slightly expensive, place for lunch. But it pays to treat yourself every once in a while.

Rockpool Bar and Grill,
66 Hunter St
Sydney
2000

Restaurant Review: AK Kitchen, Hunter Connection

Recommendations from my Chinese colleague have led to some pretty good meals.

When he told me of a new favourite spot in our regular lunchtime hangout of Hunter Connection I was keen to give it a try. AK Kitchen has opened since the epic Project Hunter I completed just over twelve months ago.

My colleague promised me food just like his mum cooks. It isn't flash, but it is homely and hearty.

Ordering from the hot counter is apparently the thing to do. On my four or five visits, there hasn't been a lot of variation, with only one or two dishes changing each time.

Three choices with soup for $7.50 is great value (not unusual in Hunter). It would be more sensible to go for two choices, but where is the fun in that!

On my most recent visit I selected the beef with radish, mapu tofu and braised eggplant with pork. I enjoyed the braised beef with the soft radishes and I'm always a sucker for cooked eggplant. The simple soups have taken on a more seaweed bent recently. I prefer the egg and tomato soups I had on my first couple of visits.

Be warned, an afternoon food coma is very likely to ensue after a visit to AK Kitchen.

AK Kitchen
Hunter Connection
Hunter St
Sydney
2000

Restaurant Review: La Casa Ristorante, Russell Lea

Angie and I have been planning to meet up since before Christmas. Three months later we finally managed to catch up over dinner at La Casa Ristorante with Simon and Bel.

La Casa is a suburban Italian restaurant in the, new to me, suburb of Russell Lea. Front of house is run by the larger than life Carmel, while her brother Tony is in the kitchen. Carmel stopped by our table a few times during the evening and it was great to learn a little about the philosophy behind the menu and some of the restaurant's suppliers.

Our shared starter of polpette della mamma (mamma's meatballs) was my highlight of the night. The incredibly tender meatballs had a sharpness from the pecorino cheese and added depth from the rich tomato sauce. Carmel was quite relaxed in telling us the recipe "no one can make them the same as we do even if they know the recipe". I think I believe her.

I loved the wood fired oven that was consistently churning out pizzas during the evening. It would be awesome to bake one of my sourdough loaves in there to see how it alters the flavour. The dough in our bufala pizza took five days to make (as it does for all their pizzas). It had a tasty thin crust, although the cheese hadn't melted as we hoped.

For the main course, Simon and I both chose the Linguine con gamberi e granchio. The linguine with prawn and crab, unfortunately came with no crab. A quick word with Carmel and it was swiftly re-made. Once the crab was added the dish really came alive. The prawns were sweet and the crab, tomato and lemon sauce was a treat. For me it had the perfect amount of chilli for a little bit of tingle on the lips, although I think Simon would have liked more chilli.

We went desert crazy with ordering a cannoli, tiramisu and affogato to share. My favourite was the cannoli which had a moorish sweet vanilla ricotta filling.

I really enjoyed our dinner at La Casa. It strikes me as an excellent family restaurant run by friendly hosts working hard to please their locals. The servings were very generous, definitely representing value for money.

Simon's review of the night is here.

Polpette della Mamma ($15)

Mamma's meat balls

Bufala pizza ($20)

Risotto alle alghe marine e scamp ($25)

Seaweed risotto with scampi

 

Linguine con gamberi e granchio ($23)

Linguine with prawns, crab, diced tomatoes, garlic, oil & chilli

Filetto di Salmone con riso venere ($29)

Atlantic salmon on a bed of parsnip puree & venere black rice

Cannoli ($11)

Tiramisu ($13)

Affogato ($14)

La Casa Ristorante
271 Lyons Road, 
Russell Lea,
Sydney
2046

Restaurant Review: Sayong Curry & Laksa Malaysian Cuisine, Town Hall

Thanks to Simon for organising a Friday lunch meet up with Dom and Tony at Sayong Curry & Laksa.

It was my first visit to the small food court which is outside of my usual lunchtime striking range. The food court was pretty busy when I arrived. Sayong definitely had the longest queues, but the neighbouring Thai looked pretty busy too.

Chicken Rice

I decided to order the chicken rice ($8). The chicken breast was served with coconut rice, soup, chilli and ginger sauces. The chicken was tender as hoped for and came served on a soy based sauce which complimented it well.

I enjoyed the ginger sauce and the soup which had a nice flaovur with added crispy fried shallots. I didn't detect much coconut flavour in the rice which was a little oily.

In my search for the best chicken rice in Sydney I'd take the chicken from either Singapore Shiok or Sayong (they were both good), Shiok's rice and Sayong's soup & sauces.

Ipoh Char Kway Teow

Simon ordered the Ipoh Char Kway Teow which was a new dish on me. The cooked to order seafood char kway teow is covered in a egg based sauce. Simon's tip is to request some additional pickled green chillies which compliment the flavour. It was a nice dish from my quick taste.

Sayong Curry and Laksa, Malaysian Cuisine,
LG Food Court, Pittsway Arcade
303 Pitt St,
Sydney
2000

Restaurant Review: Holy Basil, China Town

Fish cakes

Fellow blogger Phouc was teasing my taste buds a while ago with pictures of Lao sausages on Twitter. When the team from Holy Basil in Canley Vale opened a restaurant in the city late last year I was quick to add it onto my wish list for 2012.

Why did Lao food catch my eye? Over the past few decades there has been a high level of migration from the Isan province in Thailand to the capital Bangkok. The migrants bought their favourite food with them and now Isan food is a big influence behind Bangkok street food.

The Isan province shares a large border with Laos and I understand there is a quite a lot of crossover between the two. I was keen to see how Lao food compared with the Bangkok street food that I love.

Tenuous? Yes. Culturally insensitive generalisation? Hopefully not.

 

Green chicken curry

We started off with some Fish cakes ($8.90) which came served under a mound of salad. The fish cakes tasted pretty good and a lot like the ones I ate the Tha Chang Pier in Bangkok on my first visit.

Dinner with Mary always involves a green chicken curry ($12.90). Moderate on the heat scale the curry had a good depth of flavour. The curry had large pieces of galangal and lemongrass in it. I think they were trying to highlight that the curry paste was homemade. However, I found it unnecessarily annoying. You thought you'd scored a piece of chicken and it turned out to be woody galangal.

Lao sausages

After my tweets with Phouc the Lao sausages ($10.90) were a must. They didn't contain any glutinous rice as I was expecting from the Bangkok street stalls. The lightly spiced sausages were tender on the inside and had well grilled skins for a change in texture. They were the favourite dish of the evening.

 Laab ped / duck salad

Along with the mighty som dtum, laab ped ($14.90) is my favourite street stall dish. The laab was fresh with a little bit of zing, but I prefer Chat Thai's version or the one from the stall opposite my old flat in Bangkok.

It was my first visit to the Shark Hotel and it is a much less salubriuos venue than I was expecting. The food was all good and certainly seems to be a hit with Asian dinners. In fact I think I might have been the only whitey in the place. It wasn't the Bangkok street food of my dreams. But it's a Lao restaurant, so I probably should not have expected it to be.


Holy Basil
Shark Hotel 
127 Liverpool St,
Sydney
2000

Restaurant Review: Ms G's, Potts Point

I finally made it! I've had Ms G's on my wish list for over a year now and was beginning to feel like one of the few people in Sydney who hadn't been to Dan Hong's popular restaurant. Last Saturday night, dinner with a friend provided the perfect opportunity to visit.

We arrived just after 6pm and the place was already packed. Not having booked we were seated at one of the micro tables just inside the door. The tables are only just big enough and I think could do with a bit of a re-design to make them more practical.

I'm not sure if it was by design or luck, but all of our dishes came out one at a time which helped manage the small table. There wouldn't have been space to fit two dishes on the table simultaneously.

To start I ordered one of the Mini pork belly bánh mì ($6) I've heard so much about. It wasn't the taste sensation I was expecting. I don't remember the pork being particularly crispy or flavoursome. All of the action was in juicy slaw sitting on top of the pork.

After asking the waitress what the mysteriously named Salad of Husband & Wife was, we decided that pigs ears might be a bit full on. Instead we opted for the “Buddha’s Delight” ($14). Described as a 'textural vegetarian salad' this was a highlight of the evening. A mix of crunchy (peanuts, cucumber, carrot) and soft (tofu, herbs) ingredients.

Our third selection was the Grilled beef pancakes, cucumber kimchi, nuoc cham ($28). The cucumber kimchi was fabulous and the sweet and spicy nuoc cham even better. However, the dish didn't work as a pancake for me. The surprisingly regular rectangles of beef were too large for a single mouthful, but not tender enough to easily bite in half. It made for rather inelegant eating.

Some fantastic flavours but a flawed concept for me. Cutting the beef in half, or using some falling apart short ribs (off the bone) might have ruined the presentation, but would make the dish a lot easier to eat.

Our final dish was the Roasted sambal barramundi ($26) and I'm pleased to report that we finished on a high. The barramundi was beautifully cooked, flaking apart and still wonderfully moist. The thick and rich sambal on top of the fish was a builder. It started with a deep tomato flavour as the chilli built in your mouth.

I was expecting to be bowled over by Ms G's after all of the good reviews and was a little disappointed that I wasn't. The sambal barramundi and Buddha's Delight salad were definite highlights, however, the beef and bánh mì disappointed slightly. I also thought that the price of the mains was a little high considering the size of the portions.

Ms G's
155 Victoria St
Potts Point
2011