Red Pepper, Strathfield

Hello again. It's been a while hasn't it? I know I've said this countless times before but I really have been busy with work, a trip to the snow, and getting sick twice over the last month. During all those busy times, one of the dishes that has got me craving for more has been Korean fried chicken. Recently, one of my friends made a visit to Sydney for his belated birthday celebrations where we all celebrated at Strathfield Sports Club's Red Pepper Bistro. 

The location was actually very hard to find with so many of us getting lost trying to find this unassuming location. While there was no signage for Red Pepper, the easy way to find the Strathfield Sports Club was the hidden small brick building next to the soccer field and tennis court if you are coming from the station. The inside venue was similar to a community hall where you grab the first avail table for yourself but don't let that deter you. There's a dozen different flavours of fried chicken to try, which was perfect for a group of twenty hungry people.

Spring onion fried chicken (H: $18.00, W: $34.00)

I was looking forward to trying the spring onion fried chicken after seeing it in countless photos. Was a bit puzzled when it showed up since it didn't look as crispy as I thought it would. There was a heavy amount of wasabi sauce coated onto the chicken skin, which was actually quite milder and sweeter than we expected. And when we were feeling guilty from all the fried chicken action, there was the bundle of spring onions clouded together on top just to make you feel a little bit better.

Snow cheese fried chicken (H: $18.00, W: $34.00)

After hearing so much about the snow cheese fried chicken from Red Pepper's little sister branch, The Sparrow Mill, I was intrigued to try this interesting combination. Despite the unusual flavour, this ended up being our favourite of the night. Not only was the chicken so damn crunchy, the cheese powder didn't overpower the juicy flavour and the tender meat. 

 Sweet and Spicy fried chicken (H: $18.00, W: $34.00)

Red Pepper wasn't kidding when they named this plate "Sweet and spicy fried chicken". It was sweet, saucy and mild at first but then it started to burn my tongue after multiple bites. The roasted garlic was also a nice touch.

Soy sauce fried chicken (H: $17.00, W: $32.00)

Forgot to take a photo of this when it arrived at our table so I only managed to snap it when we demolished half of it. It was sweet and very sticky from the rich soy sauce coating. Was also slightly spicy from what I could recall. 

The service was minimal but what matters the most was the many options of fried chicken to indulge on. This is great for large groups and easy to share and split bills especially when you over ordered like we did. If Strathfield is out of the way, the same menu is available at its little sister restaurant "The Sparrow Mill in the Town Hall/Chinatown side of the CBD. 

Red Pepper
Strathfield Sports Club
4a Lyons Street, Strathfield NSW 2135
 

Stra Pocha, Strathfield

Situated on the much, much less busy side of Strathfield, Stra-Pocha has been a popular Korean dining spot for the locals and young uni students when you feel like some fried chicken, Korean BBQ or hot pot. It is also far away from all the insane froyo action (which has now taken over the whole of Sydney by storm). I often have trouble trying to go from one side to the another without going into the station until CC showed me a passageway that leads to the other side nearby the station. Yup after all these years, I still don't know my way around Strathfield.

Complimentary condiments (incl. kim chi)

While there are several individual sized dishes, there are many meals that are aimed to share with a larger group instead of just one or two mates. We went with one of the popular choices on the menu which is the fried chicken with melted cheese on a paella dish-sized hot plate. IT WAS MASSIVE! The melted cheese wasn't as stringy as I hoped but I think we left it a bit too late to mix it around the chicken so the cheese probably dried itself out...oops. It certainly has a strong cheese scent. The meat of the chicken seemed to taste a bit dry but the batter retained its crispiness.

Fried chicken with melted cheese

And to top it all off, the waiter gave us a complimentary serving of more fried chicken! LOL! As if the ones we already had weren't filling enough.

Fried chicken

If I knew how big this will be, I probably wouldn't have ordered the seafood pancake - my usual Korean food favourite. It's much thicker than the ones I get at other restaurants. It appears to be stuffed like a stuffed pizza with bundles of seafood pieces sandwiched between the pancake batter.

Seafood Pancake

We both struggled and ended up getting take away at the end. The service was average but it's what we would usually expect at a Korean restaurant. We will come back to try the hot pot as I've heard that it's top notch at Stra Pocha. Will go easy on the food next time for sure or bring even more people to share the heavy dishes. A recommended place to go if you are keen on going to Strathfield just for Korean food since the menu does have a decent range of dishes that we are keen to try next time.

Stra Pocha

19-21 Everton Road, Strathfield NSW 2135

(02) 9745 5959

Moochi & Noggi, Strathfield [BOTH CLOSED]

We all go crazy for sweets. Macarons, creme brulee, ice cream sandwiches and now frozen yogurt! Especially in Strathfield (and Chatswood - but that's for another review). Lately, it has been the ultimate hip hangout place for the young and the young at heart. After seeing practically everyone checking in at these places on Facebook and Foursquare on a daily basis - predominantly late nights, I thought it was time to do some exploring. And before anyone starts to go into a froyo war frenzy based on the following review, I should tell you this: I originally was not a fan of yogurt. In fact my own folks will probably be surprised when I tell them that I have now become addicted to this stuff. And to this day I still get froyo cravings.

That night I met up with CC (who is absolutely obsessed with Moochi and Noggi!) for dinner earlier on. I cannot remember why we have chosen to go to Noggi first - I am guessing it was because she loves the biscotti flavour. After a couple of walks around the block, we ended up at Moochi to try out their churros...and the froyo of course!

ATMOSPHERE

Noggi:
At the time I went, most of the people there looked like they are from high school. They also have a special deal for high school kids. Noggi has a bright light green and blue background and design plus they have a spare room at the back which has more seats to chill out.


Moochi:
Pink and White. Enough said. It conjurs images of Wendy's and Donut King with the amount of pink in the design. There was not much room though which may have contributed to the excessive crowds at later hours. The crowd here is generally older than at Noggi but there were a few school kids too. They also show a film on their own TV screen


Both places are pumping with the music you would hear at rnb/hip hop clubs which will explain the epic lines at 10 or 11pm as it does feel like a nightclub. Except with no cover charge and alcohol.

FLAVOURS AND TOPPINGS

Noggi:
Their froyo flavours comprise of Original (Vanilla), Green Tea, Biscotti and Wildberry. In recent visits they seem to have Pomegranate instead of Wildberry though. The toppings here appear to be limited compared to Moochi but they seem to have more fruit toppings than candy. In addition, the maximum number of toppings to choose for your froyo is up to three.

Moochi
Froyo flavours comprise of Original, Green Tea, Pomegranate and Watermelon. They appear to have a larger variety of toppings compared to Noggi with both fruit and sweet candy flavours. Additionally they allow unlimited toppings - at a price.



PRICE

Noggi
Here they have a fixed number of 3 toppings with a fixed price depending on the size. For example, a regular size with 3 toppings is $5.70. A regular size without toppings is $4.20.

Moochi
Moochi did not list the maximum number of toppings but they do have an additional price of 50c. Interestingly on the price board, they listed their sizes in measurements of ounces! This is probably the first time I have seen it used in Australia. Their regular size without toppings is listed as $3.90. With 3 toppings added, this comes down to $5.40. With or without toppings, Moochi's yogurt is shown to be 30c less than Noggi's which is not really a huge difference.

But it all comes down to the taste! (excuse the cooking reality show pun).

TASTE

Noggi
I picked the biscotti flavour with tim tams, oreos and gummi bears as toppings. The yogurt tasted light yet not too creamy like a gelato or sorbet. The biscotti flavour tasted absolutely amazing as you get the creamy taste at first but then the flavour you would expect from a biscotti arrives in the end. To be honest, I wish that Moochi has biscotti as well. I also tried the wildberry flavour which was equally good and was a bit more sweeter than the biscotti.


Moochi
I went chocolate overload by ordering a watermelon yogurt with tim tams, oreos and Flake! The yogurt tasted very creamy similar to an ice cream and the watermelon flavour was very fruity and sweet. It literally melts in your mouth faster than the frozen yogurt at Noggi. If you prefer your yogurt to have a creamier texture then I would suggest this place.


EXTRA EXTRAS!

Noggi
They have waffles and smoothies - known at Noggi as 'Smoogies'. They also have coffee and tea if you are there earlier and need something to keep you up. Did not get the chance to try their waffles but they look really tasty from seeing other customers ordering it. This is served with frozen yogurt, 2 fruits and Hershey's chocolate (oh yummm!)


Moochi
Otherwise check out Moochi for their Moochi churros and chocolate. My friend bought these to share and they looked pretty epic for just four long servings. The melted chocolate dip made it taste even better. They also have coffee and tea plus cold drinks like iced tea and iced chocolate. And they also have smoothies...called 'Smoochies'!


It is sweet that this craze is going around Sydney as it does claim to be healthy compared to lots of dessert options...unless you are a chocolate and candy freak like myself. In the end both Moochi and Noggi have their own advantages regarding the quality of their frozen yogurt not to mention efficient and friendly service (plus cute eye candy!). It is no wonder that frozen yogurt shops are popping up everywhere across Sydney and around the world. Did I mention how addictive it can be? It is best that you discover the hype yourself if you haven't yet. Don't say that I didn't warn you.


Moochi
1/7-9 Churchill Ave, Strathfield NSW 2135
http://www.iheartmoochi.com.au/


Noggi
2/2 Albert Rd, Strathfield NSW 2135
http://www.noggi.com.au/