Brickfields, Chippendale

Been wanting to get this review out sooner than later but the last few weeks have been so busy for me in terms of work and getting sick. Recently, I've started a new job up in the Pyrmont area so I've been slowly adjusting to life in that end of the city now. One of the eateries that has been in my drafts for a very long time has been Brickfields. While it does have its own cafe in the growing foodie town of Chippendale, Brickfields is actually well-known as a bakery with its bread being distributed to various cafes across Sydney. It's one of those cafes that keep me coming back for more especially since their menu changes regularly. I believe that an item or two on this review may no longer be on the current menu but then again it might make a comeback soon. Right?

Skim Mocha

Satisfied by my skim mocha made with Mecca Espresso coffee beans (my personal fave right now). It's actually quite creamy but still has that aromatic Mecca taste that I loved from trying it at their own branches. 

Bacon. Manchego, Pickle with Greens ($10.00)

Because it's well-known for its artisan bead, you gotta try a sandwich...or two! The filling change on a regular basis but the seeded bread remains the same throughout all my visits. On one of my more recent visits, I've got to try this bread with none other than bacon! With Manchego cheese! While the Manchego cheese has a bitey taste that you would expect from harder cheeses, this tasted incredibly delicious with the zesty pickles, various greens and that damn crispy bacon. 

Mushroom Melt with Truffle Mayo and Pickled Jalapeno ($10.00)

If you think this post is at its peak by that bacon roll, think again. May I present you the Mushroom Melt. Again I'm not sure if this is still on the menu as of now but it was around for a while during my previous visits. The earthy truffle and mushroom aroma hits your senses immediately when it arrives at the table. While I usually spot enoki mushrooms at various Asian restaurants, this worked very well as a filling for this sandwich. And of course, that melted cheese was absolutely divine when you bite into it. It was also quite spicey thanks to the jalapenos, which hits you slowly after multiple bites but this kick made this sandwich amazingly flavoursome. 

Canele ($4.00) 

You certainly get good value for money since the sandwiches and other main-sized plates can fill you up. Decided to go simple and get a canale for my post-meal treat. It was slightly sweet with that firm and crispy crust on the outside with fluffy insides. Not a big expert on caneles actually (only tried Flour and Stone's version so far) but I thought this was really nice to try.

With all the dishes priced at less than $16 (half the dishes on the menu costs less than $10), this was actually cheaper compared to most cafes around the area. Service was attentive though it was interesting paying for the dishes at the counter before sitting down first. Seating can be a bit random because of the unique seats by the benches that can get you carried away...literally. The cafe was actually quite small so I could imagine it to be very hard getting a table on the weekend if you decide to eat in. If this cafe was around when I was a student back at UTS, I would definitely be a regular here especially after those dreaded morning lectures and tutorials. Will definitely be making even more visits on the weekend when I have the time to try more of the constantly changing menu that this delicious cafe offers including the sandwiches, big plates and the baked pastries and treats.   

Brickfields
206 Cleveland Street, Chippendale NSW 2008
(02) 9698 7880
https://www.facebook.com/brickfieldsbakery
Mon-Fri: 7:00am - 3:00pm
Sat-Sun: 8:00am - 4:00pm

Ippudo Central Park, Chippendale

By now you may or may not have heard that the worldwide famed Ippudo was in the process of opening their second Sydney branch at the newly developed Central Plaza across the street from good ol' UTS. Well the wait is over because this hotly anticipated restaurant will be opening its doors on 2nd October 2014 (WHICH IS TOMORROW YOU GUYS!!!). With branches all over the world, it's no wonder that Ippudo has been going strength to strength in Sydney.

Thanks to Sana from SD Marketing, I was invited to the soft opening of Ippudo Central Park before the official opening. This branch is situated in the dining district at the outdoor courtyard next to the likes of Max Brenners, Coco Cubano, Rib and Burgers, and Autolyse. While the two branches share the same name, that familiar greeting as you stepped inside the premises and the ramen, there's a decent array of entree dishes that are available exclusively to the Central Park branch. This includes the Ippudo Chasu Croquette ($8.00), Tomato Pickles ($8.00), and the Ippudo Fish and Chips ($14.00). Yup you read that right.

House-made Lemon Lime Bitters ($5.00)

At the time of our visit, alcoholic beverages and the pork buns were sadly unavailable but still, at least there's more room to try other dishes. The lemon lime bitter was so refreshing to have that I forgot to take a pic till I already drank half of it! Whoops...

Seared Salmon Sushi ($13.00) 

We were initially indecisive about what we should get for our entree to share. After much time spent on looking at the menu, we settled on sushi since we were curious on how Ippudo compares to the traditional sushi joints. Gotta say that we were surprised on how much we enjoyed this dish. The temari salmon tasted fresh while the rice had a nice, balanced texture. However, the mentai mayo and avocado added loads of zesty flavour with a slightly creamy texture that actually worked well with the sushi. Wouldn't mind ordering more if I can.

Platter of Additional Ramen Toppings

Since both CC and I ordered a Special version of the ramen of our choice, we received a platter of extra toppings including flavoured egg, simmered pork belly, roasted seaweed, black mushrooms, bamboo shoots and spring onions. I haven't tried the special version at the other branch to see if they also serve the extra toppings separately but I thought this was a good idea so you can decide how much you want to eat with your bowl instead of eating everything inside.

Tori Shoyu Ramen Special ($21.00) 

I wasn't feeling too well in terms of the stomach so I went with something a bit lighter that I haven't tried at Ippudo before, which was the Tori Shoyu Ramen Special. This type of ramen uses a chicken broth blended with special bonito extract, served with medium wavy noodles and topped with original chicken chasu, menna, leek and naruto. While the broth was lighter, it was full of flavour from all the ingredients even when I added most of the extras into the bowl. It was also fascinating digging into tender chicken and pork belly pieces in one go as your slurp up the contents. Very generous serving size especially with the additional toppings.

The finished dish with the extra special toppings

Akamaru Special ($24.00)

CC went along with her favourite Ippudo ramen, which was the Akamaru Shinaji (mine too) but decided to go up a notch and order the Akamaru Special. This was basically the Akamaru Shinaji (tonkotsu broth with miso paste and garlic oil with thin noodles, pork belly, black mushrooms and spring onion) with the platter of additional toppings as mentioned previously. Always enjoyed blending the miso paste with the tonkotsu broth just to see the beautiful result. 

Both CC and I were very pleased with what Ippudo Central Park has offered. We were even more excited about the new dishes that we could only get at this branch. While the prices are more expensive for the uni students in the area, Ippudo is definitely worth it for the deliciously unique dishes, spaced out and spotless decor and the welcoming and friendly service from the staff. Very keen to go back again to try the Miso Tonkotsu Ramen, the Ippudo Fish and Chips, and the Chasu Croquette on my next visit. With so many restaurants opening around Chippendale these days, it is no surprise that this quiet suburb will become one of the next upcoming food hub spot in Sydney. 



Disclaimer: The Random Foodie dined as a guest of Ippudo Sydney Central Park, courtesy of Sana from SD Marketing. Opinions are however, my own.

Ippudo Sydney Central Park
Level 1 RB07, 28 Broadway, Chippendale NSW 2008
(02) 8078 7020
http://www.ippudo.com.au/
Opening Date: 2nd October 2014

Ester, Chippendale

There is something unique about Chippendale's newish restaurant, Ester. Perhaps it was the minimal, simple decor or maybe it's the Modern Australian-inspired cuisine with a bit of Mediterranean flavours thrown in that has wowed us on the night. This is no surprise coming from the same team who owns Vini, Berta and 121 BC in Surry Hills along with Mat Lindsay (ex-Billy Kwong) and Nic Wong (ex-Bodega and Billy Kwong) taking over the kitchen. Yup you know you are onto a good thing here.

Located in one of the many quiet and hidden streets of Chippendale, it was a bit of a walk from Railway Square than we expected but still close to the main streets of Broadway. Inside, we notice a rather busy crowd with a relatively social atmosphere. The service was very friendly to us on the night. Even though we agreed to finish everything by a certain time so other customers can claim our table, the staff was happy to accommodate us to the bar so we can continue ordering desserts later on. Similar to their sister restaurants, Ester has an impressive range of wine for your beverage needs.

As with most restaurants and bars opening up these days, the dishes at Ester are designed to be shared which is perfect for CC and I to try as many as possible. And we still didn't get bloated by the end! Well only slightly. What's even more special about Ester is their wood-fired oven which became an essential feature for most items on the wood-fired focused menu.

We were treated with complimentary fried chickpeas which were surprisingly addictive. I'm usually not a huge fan of chickpeas but I couldn't stop gobbling these crunchy treats up! Seasoned with salt and rosemary, you just cannot get enough of this. Was pretty bummed when it was all gone.

Complimentary Fried Chickpeas

We were interested in trying out the squid balls (me thinking it was something similar to arancini balls) but were quite stunned by the presentation of the dish when it arrived to us. Both CC and I were staring at each other with the same thought in mind: "Dude, this looks like s***". Thankfully the taste was a million times better than we expected. While it did have a chewy texture, I enjoyed the squid ink flavour which reminded me of eating squid ink risotto and pasta at various Italian restaurants. We were quite puzzled by its name though since the shape clearly did not resemble a ball...

Squid Ink Balls ($12.00)

Our waiter recommended this dish to us as an individual-sized snack when we were deciding. It may appear to be simple especially with the crustless bread but the flavour does work wonders to our taste buds. The mayo sauce tasted lovely on that soft bread. Sure blood sausage does not sound appealing when you think about it but the taste wasn't strong so you will think that it's just a normal sausage eventually. Altogether, it was yummy and perfect for a quick bite.

Blood Sausage Sanga ($6.00 pp)

If there is a dish that I would consider as the winner of the night, it has gotta be the bone marrow with XO. Generally I love any dish involving bone marrow but Ester's version is a beast. What I loved about this bone marrow was how easy it was to scoop it out compared to similar versions at other restaurants. I didn't imagine how well it tasted with XO but it actually gave it an immense flavour boost that makes me want to eat CC's share. I'm actually surprised this was listed under Snacks because the portion size is a bit bigger in my opinion especially with the crusty toasted bread. Perhaps a small plate? Either way, each bite of this dish was like heaven for us.

Bone Marrow / XO ($16.00)

Bone Marrow Porn

I go crazy over any dish that has crab on the menu so I ordered it immediately without knowing how it would actually turn out. Initially we thought it would be presented in some form of ready-to-eat pickled crab meat or attached to the shell in a way that would be easy for us to take the meat out. Even with the metal tools, it was difficult for us to grab the crab meat out of the hard shell so this was time-consuming for us in the end. On the other hand, the crab meat that we managed to take out was well-cooked and delicious but would probably not order this again unless we figure out a faster way to take the meat apart with those tools or our hands or it was presented in a different and easier way. 

Blue Swimmer Crab / Salt and Pepper ($24.00)

Thankfully, the steak was much easier to handle and share with its neat and thick slices. The meat was cooked medium-rare so it was soft, tender and juicy. It also came with a slab of bagna cauda, which is a sauce consisting of anchovies, garlic, olive oil and butter. The sauce tasted creamy and too buttery for my liking but CC said this was one of her fave dishes of the day along with the bone marrow. The slices of radishes were a refreshing contrast to the otherwise meaty and buttery plate. 

Steak / Bagna Cauda / Radish ($30.00)

Despite all those dishes, we weren't too bloated as we thought we would be. Enough reason to grab dessert. We were curious about the Three Milks which consists of ricotta panna cotta, sheep's milk foam and a smear of dulce de leche cream. It even has a dab of olive oil, rosemary leaves and biscuit crumbs for a little more crunch to a very creamy dish. It's very unique and somewhat light in texture. If you love your creamy, milky and cheesy desserts with a nit of sticky sweetness then this is the dish for you. 

Three Milks ($11.00)

The salted caramel semi-freddo may looked simple as a nicely-formed round ball but the flavour and texture is on a different level. There was that grainy texture from the black sesame crumbs combined with the creamy taste and the caramel saltiness as well as sweetness.

Salted-caramel semi-freddo ($4.00)

The food that Ester serves was clearly not what we've seen before at most other restaurants in Sydney and that's what we really liked about it. Every dish was full of surprises whether it was really delicious, slightly frustrating or just plain odd. While the prices aren't the cheapest, the dishes were focused on sharing so this will do less damage to your wallet. The vibe was incredibly busy for a restaurant on a quiet location on a weekday. I could only imagine how packed this would get for dinner on a Friday or Saturday night. Can't wait to go back for that bone marrow omggg.

Ester
52 Meagher Street, Chippendale NSW 2008
(02) 8068 8279
http://ester-restaurant.com.au/
Lunch: Thurs - Fri 12:00pm to 3:00pm
Dinner: Tues - Fri 6:00pm to late (5:30pm for drinks), Sat 6:00pm to late