Porch and Parlour, North Bondi

After that epic bacon feast in the last post, it's time to slow down and get back to loving healthy food again. Bondi Beach has plenty of healthy cafes in the vicinity but the one that has caught our attention was the renowned Porch and Parlour. It is located in North Bondi but still a reasonable walk back to Bondi Beach. While there is a couple of naughty options like the Devil's Breakfast, the majority of the menu consisted of salads, greens and superfood focused dishes like quinoa so you feel slightly less guilty on eating out here especially so close to the scenic beaches.

While coffee is available, you can also choose one of the freshly pressed juices for a healthier alternative. I still to my coffee afterwards because of the cool weather but the pressed juices were naturally refreshing. Some were a bit heavier in the content but we could taste the fruitiness in each of these drinks.

Porch BLT ($14.00)

Despite all that talk about healthy food, we still got a couple of some not so healthy dishes such as the Porch BLT with aioli. But damn gotta love the look of that crisp bacon. I didn't get to try this but DG said that it was satisfying and filling.

The Devil's Breakfast ($22.00)

Sighs, I wanted to get something lighter but I cannot keep my eyes off the Devil's Breakfast especially with all that firm and juicy chorizo. This also came with paprika, chilli coated eggs, beans, fried potato, rocket and avocado on toast. So bad but so delicious. Slightly spicy but manageable if chilli isn't your thing. With that price, the dish was a generous serving especially with the avo on toast on the side. It's a hearty dish that would be perfect for the colder weather that we've been getting lately.

Green Breaky Bowl ($17.00)

We all shared one of the Porch and Parlour's healthiest dishes which was the Green Breaky Bowl. This contains kale, quinoa, spinach, coriander, mint, parsley, boiled eggs and avocado. Considering all the meat I've ate with The Devils Breakfast (along with the added guilt), I was in serious need for some veggies. While there was the usual superfood like quinoa, avocado, and kale that will probably make you groan at the thought, it actually worked well together as a tasty dish that will make your stomach feel full but not bloated. Be wary of the greens sticking to your teeth though. Very keen to order this for myself next time. 

Raw Cosmic Salad ($18.00)

CC decided to stick with the healthy vibe and got herself the raw cosmic salad with salmon on the side. This salad consists of mixed herbs, lettuce, apple, fennel, beetroot, quinoa, guacamole, "raw sisterhood sauerkraut" and "cosmic crackers". I tried a bit of this dish and found it to be refreshing with lots of different textures and flavours from the soft and zesty guac to the crunchy apple, lettuce and fennel. The salmon was also well-seared to CC's liking.

Considering there's 3 of us with 4 dishes and lots of drinks, it was a surprise that we managed to clean up almost every single plate on this very small table. The staff were quite attentive even though it was a busy Sunday lunch. While they do all day breakfast, they also have a dinner menu from Wednesday to Sunday. We are all very keen to go back to try the other dishes that this cafe offers, especially on a warmer day whenever it's here.

Porch and Parlour
17/110 Ramsgate Avenue, North Bondi NSW 2026
http://www.porchandparlour.com/
Mon-Tue: 6:30am - 4:00pm
Wed-Sun: 6:30am - 10:00pm

Last day in Melbourne *sighs*

Sadly we were only in Melbourne for the weekend so we were on a tight schedule. Yeah I know I'm really bummed out too. As I'm writing this, I do regret about the places I did not get to try (Manchester Press, Chin Chin, Hammer and Tong, Cumulus Inc etc etc) but I cherish about the places that I have explored. We had a late night on Saturday so we were really exhausted trying to get up early. Plus the girls wanted to spend the day shopping.

Brother Thomas

Our hotel was located in Flagstaff so there wasn't many dining options in the area. We were originally planning to walk to Manchester Press but since we were on a tight schedule and we made a booking at Nieuw Amsterdam at 12:30pm, we decided to eat at Brother Thomas which was only a few blocks away from our hotel. Due to its location, it was much quieter compared to the other Melbourne cafes but peaceful if you want to sit down and chill without having to worry about the 50 other hungry people queuing outside.

Mocha 

Chai Latte

We had our usual coffee to kick start our day especially with little sleep from the night before. My mocha was not bad but thought that the cocoa seemed a tad dense and grainier compared to what I usually get. CC had her chai latte, which she found to be very disappointing because it was way too much milk and not enough tea and spices that you would normally expect with this kind of drink.

Bacon and Poached Eggs on Toast

While I was happy with my juicy bacon, I was sadly disappointed with the poached eggs. Although it looked perfectly poached on the outside, the egg yolk was overcooked. No oozy action this time unfortunately. At least the bacon was succulent so I was able to enjoy the rest of the meal despite this.

The Big Breakfast (Eggs, Bacon, Pickles, Tomatoes) 

On the other hand, both CC and S (who both ordered the same plate), found that their poached eggs had a good amount of ooziness. Combined with the zesty tomato, drool-worthy bacon and sour pickles, the plate was very filling for them so it was a struggle to finish.

While Brother Thomas impressed us with the hip decor and reasonable prices, the food and the coffee didn't blew us away especially with the many other cafes around. However, it is a decent option if you are working or staying in the Flagstaff area and you are under a tight schedule since there weren't many cafes in this part of the city. 

Brother Thomas
350 William Street, Melbourne VIC 3000
(03) 9328 7535
https://www.facebook.com/BrotherThomasCoffee



Nieuw Amsterdam

After a few hours shopping and a few touristy errands, we headed to Nieuw Amsterdam for our lunch booking on the hip and trendy Hardware Street. Originally we were planning to go on Saturday night but the restaurant was booked out. Since we did not have much time left and both CC and S really wanted to dine there, we settled on this place for our last Melbourne foodie stop (until next time of course).

I should have done my research before making a booking but I was quite bummed when I realised that the lunch menu is much more different to the dinner menu. It mostly consists of meat trays, deli sandwiches, salads and a limited choice of mains. The atmosphere remained quite busy and noisy even though the venue was not too packed.

Southern Style Pork Banh Mi - pate, crackle, apple sauce, cucumber salad ($16.00)

I was intrigued by the above dish because of its fusion of classic Vietnamese street food with a Southern touch. Was pleased by how it tasted especially the crunchy pork crackle and the sweet apple sauce combined with the usual condiments that you would normally expect in a banh mi. Although it was no Mr Crackles, it was satisfying enough for me. Very generous servings though since I struggled to finish the second half of the sandwich and didn't ate much of the chips that came along with the salad as complimentary sides. From the chips that I did try, I thought that they had a good amount of crunch.

Baked Eggplant Sandwich - tomato fondue, fresh mozzarella, basil, olive oil ($13.00)

CC managed to eat halfway through her sandwich but barely touch the rest of the plate (to be fair, the dishes we had earlier at Broher Thomas caught up with our stomachs). I did not try this dish but CC thought it was an alright dish.

BBQ Shrimp Salad - edamame, avocado, radish, cucumber, sesame, miso ($19.50)

Similar to the Southern Style Banh Mi, the salad also had an Asian touch with the use of miso, edamame and sesame. Looks quite healthy plus the prawns tasted plump and fresh. Very generous serving.

Berry Split - berry jelly, white chocolate mousse, cream cheese sorbet ($14.00)

We were absolutely stuffed but the desserts looked amazing so we stuck around for that. We were certainly not disappointed by this dessert. I didn't manage to try much but CC and S gave it double thumbs up. It was fruity, creamy and not too cheesy. This was definitely the winning dish for us in this visit.

I was a bummed that I did not end up trying Nieuw Amsterdam's signature Nieuw Chocolate Bar so will definitely consider about making a return visit in one of my future Melbourne trips especially for the dinner menu. It opens very late every night so this is a great option to dine when flying into Melbourne straight after work. If only I could travel to Melbourne on a regular basis with so many more cafes and restaurants to explore. A weekend (even if it's a long weekend) really isn't enough!

Nieuw Amsterdam
106-112 Hardware Street, Melbourne VIC 3000
(03) 9602 2111
http://www.nieuwamsterdam.com.au/
Sun-Thurs: 12:00pm - 3:00am
Fri-Sat: 12:00pm - 5:00am

The Crisp, Sydney CBD

When I used to work closer to Museum station, it was easier for me to have lunch at some of the slightly cheaper food courts and surrounding restaurants that were closer to Haymarket and Chinatown. One of the food courts that was located in the Museum and Lower Town Hall Station side of the city was the extremely hidden Telstra food court. Even if you walk past 1000 times, you still wouldn't know unless you happen to work around the area and needed a short cut when you are rushing back from lunch. That's how I originally found out that this food court exist when my former colleague and I were trying to find lunch close to work. Back then the shops at this food court didn't seem to interest us at the time so we walked elsewhere. 

Fast forward to a few months ago when I received an invite to try the new burger joint at this same food court. Since I haven't been working in this area for a while, it was quite hard to find this food court again. Also it was pretty far from where I work now so it was even more harder for me to get the chance to try out the food especially since it's only open on weekdays for breakfast and lunch only. Plus it closes over the Christmas break so it's definitely catering for the office workers in the vicinity. Looking at the menu, the food sounds tasty and cheap. It also promoted itself to be the "healthiest, naughtiest and tastiest", which is intriguing. Healthy burgers really?

  
Judging by the lunchtime crowd standing in front of this stall, the food must be pretty good. The breads were sourced from the Sonoma Bakery Company which has got me very keen cos those guys really do make really yummy, freshly made bread. Even though I ordered a burger combo I have noticed that everyone was ordering salads here, which looked really delicious. The salad were also much quicker to make compared to the burgers, which took about 15 minutes to be ready.

Sonoma Bread

Gotta love chips that have a crunchy outer texture and fluffy potato inside. The servings were It was so addictive that I gobbled them up very quickly. Can't recall if there was sauce available but I reckon it would be amazing to dip these crunchy morsels into one of those condiments. 

Chips ($3.00)

Yes I know I should have ordered a salad or a sandwich but all of the burger options look so tempting and delicious that I gave into the guilt. The burger options were split into 'Classic Burgers'  ($8.00) and 'Crisp Burgers' ($9.00) with fries and/or drink combo depending on your preference. You even get a choice of bread for your bun including white, rye, brioche or wholemeal. I opted for the rye after seeing the dark colour of the bun (I always wanted to try something different hehe). 

The Crisp Burger ($9.00 for burger, $11.00 with chips, $12.50 with chips and drink)

After much pondering I eventually chose the Crisp burger which was recommended by the Crisp staff. Seriously there are so many different options for wagyu burgers at this joint, it's crazy. The serving size was generous, moreish, filling and messy to handle at one sitting. The rye bun was fresh, soft and fluffy, which was what I really loved in this burger. While it wasn't healthy, the wagyu beef was juicy and worked well together with the stakcs of lettuce and melted vintage cheese. While it was hard to pick up the whole burger without everything falling apart, it satisfied my hunger and got me full enough to last the rest of the day.

The Crisp Burger - seasoned wagyu beef pattie, lettuce, tomato, aged vintage cheddar, balsamic onion marinade and herb aioli

If you are trying to find the healthier aspect of the company's slogan, you get to make your own salads from $6.00 or choose from the pre-made salads available on the menu for only $9 or $10.50 if you want to get a drink as well for a salad combo. You can also get sandwiches which were priced between $6-$8. 
 

While it felt rushed especially with the lunchtime crowd, I wouldn't mind ordering more food from Crisp if I was working much closer. If only it opened for dinner or even on weekends. The prices are cheap and the food satisfied my hunger especially with the servings. It was so delicious that when I was eating some leftovers at work, my colleagues were getting cravings from the smell alone. Will come back to try the salads since nearly everyone was ordering them while I was waiting for my food (gotta be health conscious right guys?). 

Disclaimer: The Random Foodie dined as a guest of The Crisp. Opinions remain personal.

The Crisp
Telstra Plaza, 324-330 Pitt Street
Sydney NSW 2000
0416 545 343 (if you want to pre-order before 12:30pm)
http://www.thecrisp.com.au/
Breakfast: Mon-Fri 8:00am - 11:00am
Lunch: Mon-Fri 11:00am - 2:30pm

Galeries Victoria Food Adventures, Sydney CBD

You may think 'Galeries Victoria food court has decent food?' Well the selection is not bad actually. For about a month, Galeries Victoria had a deal where you visit 4 of their restaurants, take away joints or cafes and you get a free meal from a selection of their renowned restaurants. All you need was to download the Galeries Victoria app on your smart phone and use it to scan the barcode when you purchase a meal of more than $8? Sounds too good to be true? For me, it kind of was but what matters most was the journey of trying out as many eating joints as possible before the deal finished on Friday 10th May.

It was a surprisingly tough adventure because my work place was closer to Martin Place so the closest food courts for me were the Westfield Food Court and MLC and some of the many hidden food courts around the Martin Place area catering to the office workers. But with a deal like this, the opportunity was just too good to miss.

CHAT THAI

This much smaller version of the Chat Thai restaurant empire is catered for those who want a quick lunch rather than waiting to get a seat in the restaurant like the other branches. It was around before the remodelling of the Galeries Victoria Food Court (back when it looked a lot less fancy then it does now) and has kept up with the glossier decor. What makes this different to other Chat Thai branches is that it really emphasises on delivering food fast. I accidentally stepped in line without knowing what to get and before I know it, I was at the front of the line with many hungry people waiting behind me gaaaah.

As it was a really warm day for Autumn, I decided to go with Som Dtum Sua, one of their many green papaya salads (looking at menu at other branches, I think this salad is only offered at the Galeries Victoria branch). According to the menu, it is the Laotian version of the green papaya salad consisting of rice noodles, pickled crab and fermented fish. While I applaud it for its fresh flavours, it was way too spicy for me especially with chilli flakes ever-present throughout the salad. I could only down half of the salad before the heat got to me. What the hell happened? So weeaaaak!

Som Dtum Sua ($13.90)

I'm a huge fan of satay chicken skewers ever since the regular uni lunch and dinner trips to Satan Thai. Can never get sick of them. Chat Thai's version is no exception. Aside from the tender chicken, the satay sauce has that chunky texture that I love especially with chopped peanuts. I also dig the cucumber chilli salad on the side which after that ordeal is thankfully not too intense on the palate.  

Chicken satay skewers ($3.00 each)

Might need to stay away from the spicy salads for a while. Will still come back to try the many other dishes that Chat Thai offers especially the noodles now that the weather is colder. As it was my first time using the app, I was having trouble figuring out how it works and the staff were quite patient and attentive to my requests. You can also find Chat Thai branches in Haymarket, Westfield CBD, Manly and Randwick.

Chat Thai
Shop 1, Lower Ground
500 George Street, Sydney NSW 2000
(02) 9283 5789
http://www.chatthai.com.au/



MADAME NHU

I wanted to head to this restaurant more often to try the pho since my last visit in early 2012 but it often escaped my mind every time I head to the city. Possibly because I wasn't sure how good the pho would be especially after many disappointments around the CBD area in the past. Better late than never! 

At Madame Nhu, they seem to offer a wide range of pho dishes. While there was the usual beef pho (pho nam, pho tai, pho dac biet), there was also chicken pho, prawn pho and vegetarian pho! I don't usually order the pho dac biet but when I do, I expect it to be brilliant. Thankfully I found that Madame Nhu's version is one of the better pho dishes that I've had in the CBD area. While they didn't offer the usual pho dac biet ingredients like tripe and tendon; the three styles of beef consisting of the thick-cut Tasmanian beef brisket, medium-well sliced rump steak and the beef in the form of meat balls were enough to satisfy my taste buds. What makes this better was the fragrant and flavoursome broth in addition to the well cooked rice noodles. My only issue was the bits of fat sticking onto the beef brisket and the broth filling up right to the top so it was splashing everywhere on my tray. Nothing major though. Will definitely head here more often whenever I am craving for pho at lunch.

Signature dac biet ($10.50)

Madame Nhu
Shop 5, Lower Ground
500 George Street, Sydney NSW 2000
(02) 92833355
http://www.madamenhu.com.au/ 



ICHI BAN BOSHI EXPRESS

Everyone who is into Japanese food will know about Ichi-Ban Boshi on Level 2 of Galeries Victoria where there are constant queues of hungry diners waiting outside the restaurant. Since the food court renovation, they have opened another branch at the lower ground food court where you can get the same food from that restaurant with lower prices, fast service and without the need to wait for a table. At Ichi Ban Boshi Express, the main menu is limited compared to the restaurant version but they do offer some of their ramen dishes as special items including the Tokyo Ramen, Karaage Ramen and Tofu Ramen. You can also add variety to your ramen by ordering extra toppings (like for $1-$3 extra.

Was surprised that their Tokyo ramen was not in the regular menu as it was declared by Ichi-Ban as their 'most popular style of ramen' but it can be spotted on the separate special menu at the front of the counter. As the Tokyo ramen is a soy-based ramen, I found the broth to be slightly salty though it was also dark, clear and not heavy at all compared to Gumshara's tonkotsu ramen though it was very filling (NB: tonkotsu ramen is unavailable at Ichi-Ban Boshi Express. There is also only 15 servings available per day if you try your luck at Ichi-Ban Boshi on Level 2). I also really enjoyed the thick slices of pork, the halved, soft-boiled oozy egg for some good protein boost, the crispy nori (seaweed) sheet and the ramen noodles, which has a nice bitey texture that we all want when we eat a bowl of ramen. It was a plain looking broth but it was perfect for a cold winter day. 

Tokyo Ramen ($9.00) 

Very keen to try the miso ramen, won ton ramen and the karaage ramen when I head to Ichi-Ban Boshi next time. If you are not a fan of ramen, there was also udon and soba noodles dishes as well as non-noodle plates like the rice bowls or a side dish of edamame. Will definitely head to Ichi-Ban Boshi at level 2 to try out their generous selection of dishes...if only I can bear with the queues. 

Ichi Ban Boshi Express
Shop 8, Lower Ground
500 George Street, Sydney NSW 2000
(02) 9264 7780
http://www.ichibanboshi.com.au/shop/syd/cbd2/index.html


Ichi Ban Boshi
Level 2, The Galeries,
500 George Street, Sydney NSW 2000
02 9262 7677
http://www.ichibanboshi.com.au/


MERO MERO

One thing that I've spotted at lunch times here from my visits were the huge crowds waiting to order at the Mero Mero counter. This one serves salads, sandwiches, paninis and wraps, which will appeal to the health conscious and vegetarian market...although they do also serve macarons! It even lets you make your own salad using the choices on a card. Knowing the epic queues at lunchtime and because work was too hectic that day for me to head down to Galeries Victoria, I decided to check it out much later since it was a Thursday evening. 

On this occasion, I was keen to try the Spicy Italian sandwich but the bread was sold out. They did offer the same fillings as a wrap so I went along with that. Was surprised at how long the wrap was. Really really long. I was so hungry that I ended up having a bite before taking a photo. Sorry guys.

 

Spicy Italian Wrap ($11.00)

The service was ok but not too welcoming however the food was satisfying enough. Really enjoyed the crispy coating on the chicken as well as the spicy mayo and the fresh tomatoes. Having said that, the Spicy Italian Chicken really wasn't spicy at all so it's good if you can't stand extremely spicy food. Ended up getting very messy from the sauce and the really massive wrap itself. In fact I got full very fast after eating more than half of the wrap. Might try one of the salads or sandwiches next time I'm here or at its Westfield store.

Mero Mero
Shop 8, Lower Ground
500 George Street, Sydney NSW 2000



SUSHI HOTARU

I wasn't sure if I fulfilled my four meals at four different restaurants in order to get a free 5th meal especially after my epic confusion at Chat Thai when I was using the app for the first time. So I decided to go for a backup and try one more restaurant in case it didn't go through. I was also keen for sushi. Unbelievably, I have only been to Sushi Hotaru once when they've first opened a couple of years ago. I know I should go here more often especially since all of their plates (except sashimi and side plates) are priced at $3. 

Unfortunately as it was a Friday lunch (and the last day of the promotion), there was a massive line of people waiting to get a table. Inside you can see the diners sitting at the long sushi train as well as some other diners sitting at tables where they order using the ipad similarly to Mizuya and Wagaya. Was going to give up and head back down until I've noticed the sign outside the restaurant, which listed the lunch bento box special.

There are a few choices for Sushi Hotaru's lunch box including the Mix Box A which has mostly nigiri sushi and a couple of sushi rolls, the salmon box with 5 pieces of salmon nigiri sushi and six salmon sushi rolls. I ended up choosing the Mix Box B that consists of 6 different varieties of nigiri sushi (8 pieces in total). You also get a complimentary miso soup with the lunch box.

Lunch Box - Mix Box B ($12.00): Clockwise from Top Left: Grilled Salmon x 2, Grilled Scallop x 2, Kingfish, Tuna, Scallop, Salmon

Both the grilled salmon and the scallop nigiri sushi were winners for me as they were made to order. I really loved the charred texture that you can immediately taste as you pop it into your mouth.

Grilled scallop nigiri - well cooked. love the texture!
 

Grilled salmon nigiri - Slightly pinkish on the side but still has the smoky texture which makes it very tasty

I also found the raw nigiri sushi to be very delicious though quite cheeky. As I bite into the sushi, I notice a little bit of wasabi creeping between the seafood and the rice. Love it! My fave ones to recommend would be the salmon and the kingfish but to be honest I really like them all!

Salmon nigiri - it's amazing how thick the salmon was cut!
 

Scallop nigiri - very juicy

Tuna nigiri - flavours were interesting. The colour looks quite funky

Kingfish nigiri - don't eat enough kingfish these days. Very yummy and refreshing

Thought that the miso soup was useful to cleanse the palate after too much sushi. Great to have on a cold winter day.

Miso soup

Possibly one of the best sushi places I've ever had. Everything was freshly made and tasty. If I ate at the restaurant, I could easily down a few plates. At least 8 of them. Really wishing that my work place was much closer to this gem.

Sushi Hotaru
Shop RP1, 500 George Street
Sydney NSW 2000


JIMMY'S RECIPE

About a week later, I finally got confirmation that I got the free meal. Yay!!! Around this point, I've been having epic cravings for Malaysian food thanks to the onslaught of winter weather lately so I finally head my way back to Galeries Victoria for one of their free meal options at Jimmy's Recipe , which specialises in Malaysian cuisine including classics like har mee, Nasi Lemak, char kway teow, murtabek and, of course, laksa. 

While there were heaps of people waiting to order their food, the line moves very quickly. Also, no matter how packed it gets you can still find somewhere to sit either inside or at the tables outside in front of the restaurant. About less than 1 minute later, I was already at the front of the line. Now when I ask the person at the counter about the free meal, she said that the free meal promotion is over. While checking into 4 different restaurants using the Galeries Victoria app has finished on 10th May, the free meal deal is still valid until 31st May. It got rectified pretty quickly and I got my meal within a flash. Literally within one minute of ordering or much less. I barely had time to breath before the laksa was already on the tray.

Chicken laksa ($8.20) 

It was interesting spotting and tasting two different types of noodles in my laksa which were vermicelli and hokkein noodles. The serving was so huge and generous that my stomach felt like it needed pumping as I was stumbling back to work. The broth was fairly creamy and smooth, while the chicken was tender and easy to pull apart. Everything from the broth to the noodles and the chicken were so flavoursome that your tastebuds are partying really hard in your mouth and you just wanna have more and more. Unfortunately, your stomach is saying otherwise as it was rich and thick...and it does have coconut milk which will scream gym time for your weight. While you can sense the spicy flavours, it was not too hot that it burns your tongue. I have heard how amazing the laksa really is at Malay Chinese Takeaway so will definitely try it soon. 

To be honest, I haven't eaten much laksa in my whole life. About two times to be exact. So I can't say on this occasion on whether it's the best laksa I've ever had in Sydney (or so they claim on their menu) since I haven't tried it at other restaurants yet. For what I've had, I really enjoyed it and will say that it's a winner for me. There were so many dishes that I need to try at Jimmy's Recipe especially the Har Mee, Haianese Chicken Rice and Char Kway Teow so I'll need to make a few more visits. While there was a minor mishap and a bit of language barrier, it was extremely quick service, really cheap prices and delicious food with massive servings. Now excuse me while I hit the treadmill...

Jimmy's Recipe
Shop RG16, Galeries Victoria
500 George Street, Sydney NSW 2000
(02) 9267 2288