Single O CBD Launch Event, Sydney CBD

If you are a CBD worker and a fan of the coffee from Single Origin Roasters but you don't have the time to check out its original Surry Hills cafe and the Botany branch, you will be very pleased to hear that it has now opened its doors on York Street in Sydney CBD. Unlike the other branches, Single O CBD is take away only, although you can chill out in the standing area on the side of the cafe.

Kombucha on tap - finger lime and ginger infused ($4.50)

Regular tea samples were offered at the counter throughout the evening. Apparently, Single O CBD is the first cafe in Sydney to offer the Japanese inspired Kombucha tea and the Cascara coffee cherry tea. While the Kombucha had a sparkling and slightly sweet flavour, the Cascara was bold, deep and intense. For the Single Origin coffee lovers, the cafe is currently serving their Reservoir blend (great with milk-based coffees), plus selected blends from Columbia, Tanzania and Ethiopia as well as the "filter of the week" for something a bit more random.

Sparkling Cascara on tap - coffee cherry tea ($4.50)

All the guests were treated to samples of delicacies that will be on offer at the cafe. My personal faves include their ham, cheese and pickled veg toastie, the mini bacon and egg rolls, braised beef sliders and the espresso buttered banana bread.

"Mr Croque" - leg ham, cheddar bechamel, pickled veg toastie ($11.00)

Avocado, fetta, cherry tomatoes, rye toast ($12.00)

A variation of the "Breakkie box" - poached eggs, flatbread, coriander salad, hummus ($12.00)

Braised beef cheek, pickles, slaw, brioche bun ($15.00)

Bacon roll, red eye mayo, fried egg, tomato apple ketchup ($12.00)

Banana bread, espresso butter ($6.00)

Thanks to the neighbouring bar "The Barbershop", we were also treated to their salted caramel espresso martini. There's a strong sense of coffee in this cocktail with a hint of sweet stickiness from the salted caramel. Sadly this isn't on the menu but I'm pretty sure The Barbershop will be happy to make it for you if you ask.

Salted Caramel Espresso Martini (not available at Single O CBD)

It's quite easy to miss Single O CBD due to its tiny space, but that's what makes hole in the wall cafes special. While the menu is limited, the cafe does all day breakfast, which is a major bonus if you don't have time to stop for a quick breakkie in the morning. My only qualm at this stage is that they do not have skim milk in case that's how you prefer your milk (which rules out nearly everyone at my office). Hopefully it will show up once the cafe settles in its new location. Despite that, it's a great way to discover or rediscover the excellent 3-cup awarded coffee that Single Origin Roasters has to offer in this side of the city.

Disclaimer 1: The Random Foodie attended the Single O CBD Launch Night as a guest. 
Disclaimer 2: The sample serving size of the food in this post does not reflect the actual size of the food served at the cafe. Prices reflect on the full size of the above menu items offered at the cafe.

Single O CBD
89 York Street, Sydney NSW 2000
(02) 9279 2677
Mon-Fri: 6:30am - 4:00pm
 

Work in Progress, Sydney CBD

I do love a good pop-up but sometimes you forget about it and then it's gone. It's even harder trying to go through the entire menu before the pop up close its doors. So imagine my relief when I heard that Patrick Friesen's (Papi Chulo) pop-up restaurant at Work in Progress has extended beyond the initial duration of March into Merivale. While it's still temporary for the time being, who knows what would happen in the long term. Just look at Cafe Paci (and I STILL haven't been there!).

Pork and Prawn Wontons, strange flavour, Sichuan pepper ($12.00, 4pc) 

The cuisine served at Work in Progress has a fusion of various Asian cuisines with a modern twist with a strong emphasis on their signature Korean fried chicken (more on that later). It also operates as a noodle bar with a small selection of Modern Chinese dishes. One of these was the Pork and Prawn wontons, which was offered as a snack. It was slightly spicy thanks to the Sichuan pepper and the "strange flavour" sauce which seems to have a bit of soya sauce, spices and peanuts among its many ingredients. While the silky wontons were slippery to handle, they were plump, firm and juicy to demolish before the main dishes arrive. The only downside was that the price for $12 for 4 pieces seemed quite steep especially when you can get double the amount for cheaper at other dumpling establishments. 

Shallot Pancake ($6.00)

While the shallot pancake was half the price of the dumplings, it was actually much more filling so the value for money in this dish was pretty damn good. You can easily get full on this dish if you order it for yourself. While it was nice to dig into the crispy thin layers of pastry, it was too salty than how I preferred. 

Curried Wagyu Brisket Lo Mien ($16.00)

Initially a limited time only dish, the Curried wagyu brisket lo mien noodles was upgraded to permanent menu status due to popular demand especially in the foodie scene (sadly the snow crab tobiko lo mien noodles had to be removed as well. Why not keep both? :p). Gotta say that I'm really glad that this dish is now on the menu. The egg noodles were a tad thicker, which was how I liked my egg noodles even though it's harder to find compared to the thinner variation. Plus the wagyu beef was amazingly soft, tender and the broth was rich, creamy and flavoursome. Would definitely order this again.

Sichuan Duck and Tofu Lo Mein ($16.00)

Speaking of thin noodles, this popular variation can be found on the other noodle bar dishes in this limited menu. It was quite spicy but still bearable enough especially if you want a bit of heat from this crazy weather lately (urghhh). Generous serving size too.

Combo #88 - Half n Half Fried Chicken: ginger nuoc cham, and chilli with peanuts ($18.00)

And now for that crispy fried chicken! At 8 pieces, this was surprisingly easy to devour if you are super hungry and this was the only dish you order for yourself on the night. It also came with a side dish of pickled daikon and kim chi, which ended up being handy once you need more than just fried chicken in your mouth. The chilli chicken with peanuts was sticky, sweet and slightly spicy, though it was easier to manage and also milder than the one I had at NaruOne. While the ginger nuoc cham fried chicken looked insatiably crispy, there wasn't too much of that earth shattering crunch that I was hoping to expect in the batter after looking at countless photos. Despite that, the chicken was well cooked, juicy and still crispy enough to devour the entire plate.

This is a restaurant that I would often find myself after work, whether it's for the food or a drink from their extensive cocktails and wine menu. Since it is a Merivale venture, it's no surprise that the prices were on the more expensive side. With its limited range of food options on the menu, it's an ideal place to get a large group of friends or colleagues together to share and try the entire menu in one sitting. 

Work in Progress
50 King Street, Sydney NSW 2000
(02) 9240 3000
http://merivale.com.au/wipbar
Mon-Fri: 12:00pm - 3:00pm, 6:00pm - 10:00pm (Bar: 12:00pm - late)

Bowery Lane, Sydney CBD

Apologies again for being absent on the blog lately. Aside from work, lots of personal commitments including farewells, birthdays, housewarmings and an anniversary has happened over the last few weeks. Even long weekend was busy! Of course, that hasn't stopped me from exploring loads of foodie places that I will hopefully update on the blog when I get the chance. One of the places I've been over the last 2 weeks was the ever-popular Bowery Lane. Not only is this restaurant about 5 minutes from my workplace, it's one of those restaurants that is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner!

Recently we were there for CC's birthday where we got to sample a wide range of dishes on the $55 set menu due to our large group. Sadly there was no epic soft shell crab action since it wasn't included on the set menu. The price didn't include drinks but that didn't stop us from ordering lots of beverages. I couldn't remember the actual name of the first drink but it reminded me of an 'old fashioned' whisky beverage that KT always ordered whenever we're out for drinks. Strong stuff but does the stuff when life gets you down.

Another cocktail I liked was the Charlie Chaplin, which had a sweeter taste that was less stronger than the first drink.

Artisan sourdough with butter

Because a couple of friends were running late, we had to wait for the bread to show up at our able even though CC said that we're all happy to be served. So by the time the bread and butter arrived, we were grabbing it to satisfy our hunger cravings. My fave was definitely the soy and lineseed bread which was most likely sourced from Sonoma Bakery.

Marinated Sicilian olives, orange, rosemary, chilli, garlic lemon ($7.00)

I'm quite pleased with the olives here. Some were quite firm, some were on the softer side. Very tasty if you like your olives though it was a tad salty. A couple of friends weren't big fan so I was happy to make the most of my addiction.

Black pepper and lime salt calamari with coriander aioli ($16.00)

I'm guessing it's because there was a large group of us, and because it was a Friday night, the food took a long time to show up. Because of this, everyone got very impatient when I wanted to take photos of food so sorry in advance for the quality of some of the photos. Nevertheless the quality of the dishes made up for all that waiting. Such as the black pepper and lime salt calamari. The calamari was nicely crumbled, which went well with the smooth aioli sauce.

San danielle prosciutto, buffalo mozzarella, fresh fig, witlof, quinoa, rocket, walnut and vincotto ($19.00)

For the health conscious, there was the slightly healthier prosciutto salad. There's even quinoa! Definitely a refreshing combination even with the creamy buffalo mozzarella.

La stella burrata, confit heirloom tomato, radish, lemon, basil, candied olive ($17.00/$26.00)

While burrata isn't one of my fave cheeses (way too creamy for my liking), it looked very pleasing to the eye. The others really enjoyed sharing this dish while I made the most of the veggies on the side.

Braised wagyu short rib, charred onion, roasted garlic, dijon ($62.00 to share)

Since the party consists of two full tables, the main dishes were served alternatively so I missed out on a couple of dishes including the king prawn pappardelle and the whole roasted field mushrooms. We did, however, ended up with a lot of meat. Such as this epic wagyu short rob. Luckily it was made to share and none of us were vegetarian. The short rib was tender and succulent while the sides were well matched in terms of the balance of flavours. Especially once we get too overwhelmed by the meat.

Slow cooked lamb shoulder, smoked eggplant, lemon garlic dressing, watercress ($57.00 to share)

By this point everyone was so hungry from all the waiting that they didn't bother eating for the camera to eat first heh. Despite the less than appealing shot below, the lamb was incredibly delicious. The game taste was not too strong so this will please those who were more wary of this fatty meat, although the side ingredients also helped a bit. 

Burnt carrot, smoked yoghurt, toasted sesame seed

Shoestring fries, chilli salt

Baby cos, green peas, beans, mint, aioli

We also got a decent range of sides to share whether you are keen for greens or up for crunch fries. The burnt carrot with yoghurt and sesame seeds seemed like an unusual combination which surprisingly went well with the table. French fries were a reminder of Maccas fries but with a bit of spice (and was rather addictive). But damn those greens. Girl's gotta have some greens and CC LOVES her greens heh.

Jar of cookies and cream - honeycomb, vanilla, dark chocolate

Now this was the dessert I've been looking forward to all night after spotting it in countless reviews in the past. While we all sadly had to share this dessert (seriously...), CC got her very own cookies and cream jar along with a candle. It looked so adorable and it was full of lots of sweet goodies. The ingredients tasted so good together that I seriously didn't want to share it with anyone. I'm sure the others will agree with me on that.

Strawberry shortcake - vanilla bean ice cream, macerated berries 

I didn't think this would top the last dessert but it also exceeded my expectation despite its simpler presentation. Was sweeter and fruitier in comparison to the cookies and cream jar, which is equally pleasing.

Despite the lengthy wait to get our food (most likely because of our large group), it was a delicious experience. It is located in the heart of the CBD so it is a convenient spot if you want to have a work outing with your colleagues or a catch up with friends at night. Will definitely return again to get the desserts and their famous burgers and even try their breakfast dishes if I wake up early enough.

Bowery Lane
1 O'Connell Street, Sydney NSW 2000
(02) 9252 8017

http://www.bowerylane.com.au/
Mon-Wed: 7:00am - 10:00pm
Thurs-Fri: 7:00am - Late
Sat:5:00pm - Late

Hawker, Sydney CBD

We can't get enough of Malaysian cuisine these days. With the success of PappaRich, Petaling Street, Malay Chinese and, of course, Mamak with its non-stop queues; you can be forgiven for noticing more Malaysian restaurants popping up more often these days. Mamak has clearly noticed this success so they have recently opened another restaurant. This time focusing on the more obscure Malaysian hawker street food that you are less likely to find at other similar restaurants. No rotis on the menu though.

Cham Ping, Teh Ping, Milo Ping ($4.00 each) 

We started off with a few drinks to freshen up after an epic gym session. My fave so far was the  cham ping (half tea and half coffee on ice) which was light and not too bitter. Found that the iced milo was not too sweet but a bit too milky for my preference. On the other hand, the girls really enjoyed the Teh Ping (iced milk tea) for that reason...hah.

Penang Rojak (Top left, $14.00) and Ikan Bakar (Grilled Stingray)

We ordered the Penang Rojak (top left in the above pic) to share as a starter. This was described as a salad of fresh yambean, fried tofu, cucumber, pineapple, guava, dough crisps, coated in a dark sticky sauce and chilli paste. It's one of the more unusual and interesting dishes I've tried here with all those ingredients meshed together. With all the hot dishes they have, it was a cool, refreshing plate that's great to share in a group. Personally I found it to be quite addictive when popping each ingredient in my mouth.

Ikan Bakar ($16.00)

The grilled stingray got CC and N curious enough to order. For a dish listed under snacks on the menu, it was presented as a full sized stingray which amazed us once it landed on our table. While it was well cooked and zesty, it was scattered with so many tiny bones. This made it tougher for us to eat peacefully without worrying about getting stabbed in your mouth but otherwise it was a very tasty dish for us.

Picking the bones out!

KL Hokkien Mee ($14.00)

I was personally excited to try this stir fried Hokkien dish but it ended up being let down in the end. It was way too fatty and oily for my liking and it wasn't as flavoursome as I would have hoped for - even with the black sauce.

 Wan Tan Mee with pork dumplings and soup ($13.00)

Despite an average first visit, there was still other dishes that I was keen enough to sample so I made another visit at Hawker recently. After all, I believe in second chances. Thankfully, that second visit was a more positive experience for me. The saucy noodles were tasty and well complemented with the crisped duck meat scattered within the noodles. I wasn't too sure about the dumplings at first but it ended up being a good palate cleanser after all the sauce and oil from the noodles. 

Goreng Durian ($8.00)

Didn't try much of the durian fritter but damn look at that batter! So crispy. Didn't seem to be strong from where I was sitting. Maybe I've gotten used to it. Both CC and N seemed to really enjoy this dish. The ice cream was probably too much for us to handle since we were so full by this point but I can imagine its creamy texture and flavour matching well with the durian fritter. 

Apam Balik ($6.00)

This dish was certainly one that I haven't served before at other Malaysian restaurants. It definitely looked like a popular street food dish if I was in Malaysia. I'm a huge fan of peanut butter so this sweet and crunchy turnover pancake was another highlight for me but not too keen on the creamed corn. Overall this was certainly an enjoyable dish to end the dinner on a high note. 

There was plenty of dishes to choose from the menu whether it's a main or entree. The pricing was also in the cheap side which is good if you are on a budget and the serving size was on the generous side. While the dishes were delivered quickly, it was hard to get the attention of the staff every now and then. While it has been a mixed experience so far, I would still return eventually (especially once the weather gets colder) to sample some of their other dishes including the laksa, har mee popiah, fried bread snacks, and char koay teow . 

Hawker
345 Sussex Street, Sydney NSW 2000
(02) 9264 9315
http://hawker.com.au/
Mon-Sun: 11:30am - 2:30pm, 5:30pm - 10:00pm