Chat Thai

Chat Thai

20 Campbell St, Haymarket

(Ph) 9211 1808

We had come to Chat Thai last time we came to Sydney suggested by some friends and fell in love with their Pad Thai so we came back here again this time with P's friend. We arrived at 6.10pm and there was a list at the door to put your name down, it didn't look that long so we waited but gosh, ended up waiting about 25 minutes for our table of 3 >< the waiters brought us cups of hot tea 'cause we were waiting in the cold =P we were starving by the time we got a table!

What's with all these Thai restaurants having funny cups like this? See Ghin Khao

P really wanted the Fresh Spring Rolls - fresh spring rolls of smoked fish sausages, chicken and crab with caramelised tamarind relish $11.00 I said it was just like normal rice paper rolls, nothing special, but he insisted so we got it.

And surprisingly it was really delicious! Actually was my favourite dish of the night! There aren't that many pieces, but each has a delicious variety of meats (fish and chicken) topped with the sweet tamarind relish and shreds of crab meat - so much nicer than the ones we make at home haha =P

We saw the next table had ordered this curry - it smelt soo good so we got it too. Mussamun Nuea - mussamun curry of slowly braised beef shin and potato $14.00

There's not that much beef in the dish, but it was so soft and tender and delicious! And not too spicy =) Wish they gave us more beef though =P

P's friend said he always orders this noodle dish and was delicious, even though I wanted to get the Padt Thai, they went against my wishes and ordered this dish instead. Padt Si-Ew - stir fried wide rice noodles with chicken and chinese kale in dark soy sauce $13.00

To be honest, actually tastes like a Chinese rice noodle dish, doesn't really taste Thai. Why would you wait 30 minutes for this dish?! *Sigh* Should have gone for the Padt Thai =(



Food~
7/10 - quite delicious and unique Thai food (in general anyway), reminds me of Chin Chin in Melbourne =)

Atmosphere~
2/5 - quite cramped and very loud here but you come here for the food not the atmosphere =P

Service~
2/5 - very quick, but I guess since they're so busy they want you in and out quickly lol

C.
xo

Guylian Belgian Chocolate Cafe

Guylian Belgian Chocolate Cafe

91 George St, Sydney

(Ph) 8274 7500

P and I were just strolling along the Rocks in Sydney when he needed to go to the bathroom so we just decided to go in Guylian and have some afternoon tea =P I couldn't complain!

Things are not cheap here - we were thinking of getting the Chocolate Degustation Plate - a selection of Guylian cakes, desserts chocolates, icecream served with a hot chocolate $35 but thought that was a bit too much for afternoon tea, and neither P and I like chocolate pieces so we went for a single dessert and a drink.

We chose a dessert from the counter - Guylian Praline Brulee Tart $8.50

P doesn't normally like tarts but he enjoyed the chocolate hazelnut praline with the creamy fondant layer below - it's like a Belgium praline in a tart! =) The chocolate layer was quite rich so it was nice with the short tart and the creamy fondant layer. Don't know if the raspberry (?) they put on the plate really goes well with it but anyway =P

We also got a Guylian Praline shake - Praliné ice cream with Guylian chocolate sauce $11.00

Bit disappointing it comes in a plastic cup and not a metal milkshake cup or even just a normal ceramic cup? We didn't ask for takeaway or anything. Though it was quite delicious - creamy and chocolatey with chocolate flakes, and very filling!

Food~
5/10 - very rich chocolately foods but quite expensive =(

Service~
2/5 - waiters are very attentive, too attentive actually wouldn't give us a few minutes to decide what we wanted =P

Atmosphere~
2/5 - quite peaceful watching the sunset by the window =)

C.
xo

Mother Chu's Taiwanese Gourmet

Mother Chu's Taiwanese Gourmet

86-88 Dixon St, Sydney

(Ph) 9211 0288

We were in Sydney! Unfortunately P caught a cold and felt like some congee. We asked his friend to take us to a congee place and he took us to Mother Chu's in the middle of Chinatown. I've walked past this restaurant multiple times before but had never stepped foot in it.

So P got a bowl of fish congee - doesn't look that special but it was quite tasty and homey. They could have been a bit more generous with the fish though - there were only a couple of pieces in it.

P can never resist a BBQ pork bun - doesn't look that fab and pretty sure it's not freshly steamed.

The BBQ pork was quite juicy but the bun was not as fluffy as I'd like it.

Me and P's friend shared 2 dishes - you tiao wrapped with egg pancake...

...and you tiao wrapped with spring onion pancake

Apparently it's their specialty here... everyone gets it... the table next to us got 6 of these (one per person o_Oa). It's not that special... it's just a pancake wrapping a you tiao lol... though the you tiao was quite authentic, crunchy yet fluffy inside... not like when we have it at home where we just reheat some pre-fried you tiao. I liked the spring onion pancake better than the egg pancake though it was quite chewy... after a whole serve of it my mouth was quite tired from chewing =P I did dip my you tiao in P's congee despite him telling me I'd get sick (which I didn't =P) and that was very yummy =)

P's friend had actually worked here in the past and customers were allowed to bring outside foods in (or they didn't care) but they had changed the rules and when she brought out some dessert she had made in a cooking class for us to try, the waiter very rudely told us it wasn't allowed even though there were no signs or anything =/

Food~
5/10 - was alright, very homey feel, come here if you're homesick =P

Atmosphere~
2/5 - tables are very close together and the wall is made from glass so you feel like you're sitting right next to the people sitting outside =/

Service~
2/5 - very quick, but very abrupt and kinda rude =S

C.
xo

Secret Recipe

Secret Recipe

Store L03 308, Melbourne Central, 211 LaTrobe St, Melbourne

(Ph) 9639 8884

After dinner of course we had room for dessert! We were lazy and didn't want to walk too far from Melbourne Central so we decided to go upstairs to Secret Recipe and see what cakes they had on offer =) They have a deal "Cake + Coffee for $7.90" - it said selected cakes only, though all the cakes were the same price - $5.90. We were going to get a cake + coffee each but then decided to just go for cake since it was late at night coffee will keep us up =P

There were so many delicious looking cakes to choose from! E and I love cheesecakes but thought 2 cheesecakes would be too much so we settled for the Apple crumble cheesecake and the Cocoa mocha =)

You order at the counter but man, the waitress was sooo slow at the cashier! She took at least 5mins doing I don't know what, then spent like 10mins putting the order through for the person before us, then FINALLY it was our turn =___= we were starting to get quite fed up with waiting but our dessert cravings made us stay =P

It was quite full on this Saturday night, we managed to find a side of the long table free - had to squeeze past this decorated pole in the middle of the seating area, such bad non-ergonomical design lucky we're not that fat! =P

Apple crumble cheese - wholesome fresh apples, raisins and cheese with a perfect combination of crushed macadamia and pecan nuts

This was a very interesting cake - the cheese part of the cake wasn't very strong which was a bit disappointing 'cause we wanted the cheesey-ness of cheesecakes! But there were lots of big bits of apple inside and loved the crumble on top and the biscuit base =)

Cocoa mocha - interesting mix of mocha and melted chocolate

Since we weren't getting coffees we went for a coffeeish cake as opposed o a full chocolate cake which tends to be too rich for us. Many layers, with the top half of the cake mocha flavoured and the bottom half chocolate flavoured =) Interspersed layers of cake and cream/mouse- delicious!

The table next to us ordered savoury foods - actually, they only ordered 3 serves of the Award winning Irish lamb shank - tender lamb shank marinated with SR blend of seasonal vegetables, spices and fresh herbs and slow cooked served with mashed potatoes and toasted bread. Must be very delicious - smelt quite good and the meat looked like it was falling off the bone, may try it next time I come here!

Food~
6/10 - quite delicious cakes =)

Atmosphere~
2/5 - very poor seating area especially that massive decorated pole in the middle with limited room to walk around =/

Service~
1/5 - soo slow at the cashier! though the cakes came fast - I mean, how hard is it to cut slices of cakes? =P

C.
xo

Dessert Story

Dessert Story

195 Little Bourke St, Melbourne

(Ph) 9650 7776

Sunday afternoon P for once didn't want lunch but felt like dessert! =O Of course I was up for it - P said we should check out Dessert Story if there isn't too long a line. I had been meaning to try it for a while now but everytime I pass it there's always a massive line of people outside =/ It's a newish dessert chain specializing in Taiwanese and Hong Kong desserts - there aren't many of them around, not good ones anyway. Luckily enough, we managed to get a seat straight away =)

You order at the counter first then take the number to a table. The tables are awkwardly big and heavy and hard to move but there was plenty of space so it didn't matter much.

Interior design is pretty cool with the lanterns. Check out the wallpaper - fake bookshelf of "Dessert Story" books =)

It was a freezing day so we both wanted hot desserts. P thought his one came hot only, while he actually thought I wanted mine COLD 'cause I usually like cold desserts =/ P quickly went back to the counter to ask if we could change both our bowls to hot but they said they're already making the desserts so couldn't change it ><

P got the Black Glutinuous Rice with Coconut Jelly and Coconut Milk $6.00

I'm not a fan of glutinous rice but it was quite tasty and not overly sweet - love coconut jelly =)

I got one of the recommended Taro Ball series bowls - Taro Mash + Honey Bean + Pearl $6.00

Silly P ordered it cold for me - so the toppings were on top of shaved ice argh! I wonder what it would be if I ordered it hot? I love taro so I thought I would love the taro balls but they kinda taste like glutinous balls with a mildly taro flavoured coating - wasn't very flavoursome =/ The taro mash was very delicious though, and the honey beans were really tasty - they're kinda like glutinous balls too but the honey flavour is throughout the balls =) The sweetly cooked peanuts were yummy too. I'm not a fan of pearls but all the bowls had pearls in it so I didn't have a choice, and P likes pearls anyway =) they had put a syrup or something in the shaved ice so it was a very tasty dessert overall - though it did freeze me haha!

Food~
6/10 - not many Asian dessert places around so will definitely be back for more! Wanna try the Tofu Pudding next time =)

Service~
3/5 - food came super quick, too quick for us to change our bowls from hot to cold ><

Atmosphere~
3/5 - very nice on this Sunday afternoon =) though I've heard it is very busy at nights, especially weekends!

C.
xo

Pappa Rich

Pappa Rich

Level 2, Qv Square, 210 Lonsdale Street, Melbourne

(Ph) 9654 2682

We were catching up with D for his birthday, last time we had wanted to come to Pappa Rich but the line was too long and we had too big a group to wait... this time it was a raining Monday night we thought the line wouldn't be too long... but how wrong we were! There were still 15 numbers to go wait through! =/ D's train was delayed so we figured since we were waiting for him anyway might as well wait for a table... he got here and we still had to wait another 10mins... we were starving so had high expectations now!

The menu is very colourful and was seriously food porn =D You write what code the dishes/drinks you want are on the pad and press the bell and a waiter comes and takes it for you =)

P decided to go for the Pappa Special Biryani Rice (3 Dishes) with Sambal Eggplant, Fried Chicken, Sambal Prawns - our Pappa special nasi biryani comes with aromatic Indian spiced rice, a medley of sambal eggplant, fried chicken and sambal prawns $13.90

His food came very quickly and looked very good. A mix of Indian and Malaysian flavours - the rice was a dry flavourful rice, went well with the spicy sambal dishes. I ate all the eggplant 'cause P doesn't like them - they're fried then coated in sambal sauce, was quite spicy but quite tasty. The fried chicken was crispy skinned but the meat was tender and soft. And a bonus papadum!

I got a Iced Pappa Cham (Coffee + Milk Tea) $3.90

Love coffee + milk tea... creamy and frothy =) Lucky I had this to wash down the spiciness of all the foods =P

Our dessert came before my main dish =/ P wanted to try the Roti Bom - a variant of roti canai. It is thicker and sweeter and served with condensed milk and sugar $5.80

The plate looks very bare but was surprisingly the most delicious dish! The roti is crunchy yet soft and fluffy... delicious dipped in the condensed milk and sugar <3

We asked the waiters why my dish took so long and a few seconds later it arrived =) Roti Canai with Curry Chicken - the ever popular roti canai with a serve of our delicious curry chicken $9.80

This roti is lighter and fluffier than the Roti Bom one! =) The curry chicken was super soft but the curry was so spicy - I really need to train up my spiciness tolerance =P Not sure what the other 2 sauces are - I thought they were both spicy (probably 'cause my mouth was on fire the whole time =P) but P said one was spicy and one was kinda sweet? I didn't really dip them much - ended up eating this roti with the condensed milk and sugar on the Roti Bom dish =P

Food~
6.5/10 - really feels like you're transported to Malaysia! quite genuine food =) love the roti and the Cham (coffee+milk tea)!

Service~
1/5 - made us wait in the cold and rain for 30mins and told us off for standing in the way =/ then my dish took so long to come =(

Atmosphere~
2/5 - quite comfortable and WARM inside but 'cause there was a constant line outside felt kinda pressured to eat quickly and leave quickly =/

Will definitely be back.. maybe when the line dies down a bit =P

C.
xo

Dainty Sichuan

Dainty Sichuan

176 Toorak Rd, South Yarra

(Ph) 9078 1686

It had been a long time since we caught up with T and R =) T really wanted to come to Dainty Sichuan - it's her new fave place, she said she has to come here once a fortnight =P P and I aren't fans of spicy food, especially SICHUAN food! We pleaded and begged her to go somewhere else but she insisted on coming here and said we'll order some non-spicy foods so we gave in..

What a random Asian restaurant in the middle of South Yarra?! I would never come here if not for T's suggestion. Apparently for dinners there's always a line here, so T had made a booking for this Sunday lunch, which wasn't too packed.

She had a few dishes she wanted to order - she said she had brought a few different groups of people here and had managed to convert them to Dainty Sichuan lovers too haha =P But most of the dishes she wanted to order were spicy ><

We had a long "discussion"/argument about what dishes to order, and how much spiciness P and I could take - P is actually a little bit better now but I'm still not a fan of spiciness =/ We were initially going for 2 non-spicy meat dishes but T said we wouldn't get the full Dainty Sichuan experience and we wouldn't like it as much if we don't order one of the spicy ones, and said we can pick out the chillis etc etc, even after I insisted I wouldn't like a chilli dish - in the end we agreed on one chilli dish but asked them to have it less spicy. So we settled for a a totally non-spicy pork dish (Fried Pork Slices), one spicy dish (Chongqing Chilli Chicken) which we asked them to put less chilli in (apparently they don't really do it but we gave it a shot anyway) and a vegetarian dish (Corns in Gold Sand).

R got us all cans of Wong Lo Kat Herbal Tea - he said we all need it to cool ourselves after the hotness of it all, it really scared me =P Though the drink is definitely very tasty and refreshing =)

The first dish was the non-spicy one - Fried Pork Slices $27.80

This was super tasty! Pork belly deep fried, wrapped in lettuce and dipped in either a sweet and sour sauce or a chilli sauce. The fat in the pork was pretty much melted during the frying process but still had the gooey fat texture - was delicious!

Next came the Corn in Gold Sand with salted yolk $19.80

It doesn't look that special but was surprisingly good too! P was initially very against this dish - he's like "what's so special about corn?" but T said we need a non-meat dish to separate it all, and lucky we got this it was delicious too =) It was mainly corn kernels with some peas, deep fried and coated in salted egg yolk - deliciously sweet yet salty... and crunchy!

Last came my dreaded dish - Chongqing Chilli Chicken - Chilli & Sichuan Pepper, Chicken with bone $27.80

T said they actually did give us less chilli than the normal dish - apparently normally you have to search for the chicken amongst the chilli, but now there's more chicken than chilli =) They said it tastes better when it's more chilli but I don't think I would agree on that =P The chicken was deep fried and then fried with the chillies and other herbs so it was very fragrant. It was quite chilli but I could JUST handle it, P really liked this dish and the chilliness and flavours - said he wouldn't mind trying some of the other spicy dishes on offer here =__=;; The Herbal Tea definitely made the meal much more enjoyable I could actually take the chicken and enjoy it even though my mouth was on fire =P

Food~

7/10 - everything was surprisingly tasty, maybe because P and I were having low expectations thinking it would all be too spicy for us =P May have been better if we didn't order all fried dishes - didn't even realise as we argued and ordered =P Next time will try a wider variety!

Service~

3/5 - food came very quick =)

Atmosphere~

2/5 - during this late Sunday lunch it wasn't too busy, actually most of the people around us were having hot pot so the restaurant fogged up which made it even hotter =P

Was surprisingly good, will be back =)

C.

xo