@mammaskitchen

Mamma's kitchen is an old favourite of ours since way back in high school. Although management has changed throughout the years, it's always been there for us in times of teenage girl talk, farewells, birthdays and random night outs! As you may have noticed we were not particularly hungry that day and decided to choose healthier options.

Sandwich - I am a huge sucker for anything with grilled cheese melting on top of warm tomatoes. So i'm sure you would have imagine, this dish could not go wrong for me. It's a perfect snack to tease your tummy!

Strawberry white sangria - This was absolutely delicious! Felt very fresh and bubbly, mainly because we were the only customers in there at the time and the girl making it put a lot of effort into it, and it really paid off! She was very friendly and eager to make us a nice drink, which made the whole experience that much better.

A perfect chick drink with a sweet combination of strawberry and tangy white wine.

Salad - This was sort of back when I just started working out and felt really motivated to eat right (although caesar salad isn't really the healthiest choice), so I settled for the salad knowing VERY well that it wouldn't satisfy my hunger. But it was a fail safe option as it's tasty and not a very heavy meal. Nowadays i've given up on restricting my eating and just eat anything I want, but try to balance it out with regular exercise!

@rusticpearl, @hanahana

Rustic Pearl

Lamb ragu fettuccini w/ olives, spinach & a hint of chilli topped w/ gruyere

It really does look incredibly appetizing as I look back on these photos again, however the pasta was a little bland. It's not to say it wasn't pleasant, but for the price we really could have done a bit better.

rp. b'fast bun ~ Schulz smokehouse bacon loin w/ fried egg, rocket, seeded mustard tomato relish & hollandaise, served in Sonoma French style brioche

This was definitely a bun with a gastro pleasing attitude. The tangy mayo prancing around with the peppered egg, the crunchy tender bacon and rocket was a sure winner to my snack craving belly.

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Hana Hana

Hana Hana is a cute, decorative eatery that has a whole array of Japanese style noodles downstairs, with delectable desserts upstairs. The udon/sides were pretty good; extremely cheap so definitely a plus, but it's the dessert I want to talk about. The decor upstairs is an immediate pleasure for the eyes, and then you get to feast on small chocolate delights and sip on creamy, smooth coffee. There's a variety of options, such as crepes, ice cream, waffles etc. in different flavours like chocolate, strawberry, banana...and you pretty much get the gist. I love the chocolate waffle as they have small mochi pieces inside, so you get a chewy texture when you bite into it, with the serving of ice cream and cream on the side! Definitely worth a visit as it in no way harms your wallet, and is an enjoyable experience all round.

NEWTOWN

 

Unfortunately we forgot to take a note of the restaurant's name, but it's a small Turkish place really close to the station!

I was excruciatingly hungry at the time of entry to this vibrantly decorated Turkish burger joint. Due to that fact, things were bound to taste more than satisfactory. I chose the chicken burger which was definitely a fail safe option... The soft bun melted into the juicy chicken pieces coated in a healthy amount of sweet chilli. There was a cheeky hint of chilli which accumulated into a kick to my tummy but it was all good nonetheless =D.

I loved this! The bread was very moist and delicious, and the dips were just divine. Hummus is always a winner so that was a given, but the chilli one was amazing. Very chilli indeed, but so worth it for the flavour <3

@bangkoksidewalk

Chicken pad see ew

Pad see ew can pretty much never go wrong, and this one did not really disappoint either. So then it just comes down to whether it was good enough to get again, but unfortunately it just wasn't that great. You also have to factor in the price, which was a bit high compared to other Thai places, so I probably won't be back again for a while. We both had very similar opinions regarding this place. Also, apologies for the blurry photo.. it was quite dark in the restaurant!

Chicken cashew stir fry

I guess because i've tried so many Thai places this year, this one didn't really stand out for me. Not that there was anything wrong with the dish in particular, but i've had nicer in terms of flavour and quality of the chicken n veggies. This place was actually part of the pricier range for Thai, which i don't think was worth the money but still good =).

@stircrazy

Duck spring rolls

I wasn't feeling very hungry this day, so just got an entree of duck spring rolls, which turned out to not be a very good choice. But Alvina loved it, and I know it's mostly just me. I don't seem to like the spring rolls which have a strong vegetable taste, so this just wasn't my type of dish. The sauce was delicious though.

Chicken pad see ew

I guess you pretty much CANNOT go wrong with this dish. The juicy fat noodles roll in your mouth with tender chicken pieces and zesty crunchy veggies! This is definitely a fail safe dish and is delicious!

@hanabi

It feels like we haven't done a food related post in a while! Anyway Hanabi has been featured before, but we frequent it way too much to not have a second mention. The pumpkin/meat dish is like comfort food for us, it's always hearty and never fails to satisfy our hunger. Super delicious and just a great meal in general!

This is my ultimate favourite dish in the Korean restaurants in the whole of Sydney! The soft tender boiled meat softly disassembles in the mouth whilst highly complimented by lavish pumpkin. Mmm my mouth waters once more just thinking about it. Although Anna & I demolished this thing (serving size 3-4 people) and we literally could not walk for the fear of popping stomachs! The great thing about every Korean restaurant is their generous free side dishes =D Although this one compared to others were a little stingy, I guess we couldn't complain because it was still free.

@danny'slabussola

Cheese pizza

The pizza was tasty at first, but we were ridiculously hungry after a long tiring day, and I realised it was actually a bit tasteless after a while.

Guess you can’t really go wrong with a cheese pizza =D Of course though, the more cheese the better for me.

Veal funghi

I was quite disappointed with this dish. I have mentioned a couple of times that veal funghi is my all time favourite dish so it would be pretty difficult for me not to be satisfied with it (or actually it might be the other way round because of high expectations, who knows), but this one was very plain. And the portion was so small that a few bites later and it was all gone. My greatest shock was when it first came out though, it looked like something an amateur cook made at home, or even meals we used to have at school camp (obviously tastes a bit better though).

Gnocchi bolognese

As gnocchi is one of my ULTIMATE favourite dishes of all time, i was unfortunately disappointed. The gnocchi here lacked in what was meant to be a squishy, saucy yet tangy absorbed sponge. It was bland a little too dense. I would say in terms of price and amount its an okay place to go to fill a hungry stomach, but personally not the best Italian place.

@ichibanboshi

Tokyo Ramen; the most popular style of ramen, it has roast pork and egg in a soy flavoured soup

I get this ramen almost every single time. It’s such a classic and as the description says, there definitely is a reason for being the most popular. I love the soup and simple but delicious taste.

Kimchi Ramen; Shio ramen with roast pork, vegetables and korean hot chilli pickles (kimchi)

Ichiban boshi never fails me for a tasty ramen. The width of the noodles were not too dense and not too stringy so it was perfectly chomped up =). The only flaw i would have to pick is that you get REALLY thirsty as a salty taste accumulates in the mouth. The kimchi was tangy adding a perfect crunch to the soft pork mMmmm.

@arisun

Prawn fried rice

I just had a craving for some fried rice this day, and I know Arisun's prawn fried rice is quite filling and tasty, so that is why I chose it. It pretty much tastes exactly like how you would expect fried rice to taste, but sometimes it's the tried and tested flavours that you trust and go back to!

Crispy spicy chicken

An all time korean favourite, it’s spicy and it’s chicken, what can go wrong? Nothing really, the tanginess kicked in my mouth and i enjoyed the soft chicken underneath the crunch sweet casing. This is a never-fail dish =)

This is highly enjoyable for anyone who loves chicken with a nice crispy crunch and a slight spicy kick. Probably a good introduction dish to Korean food as well, if you're new to it!
Noodles in black bean sauce

You pretty much cannot go wrong with this dish. It’s signature chewy soft texture enabled the sweet saucy noodles to glide into my mouth.

@vbar

Normally V bar is a bar i would walk past all the time and never consider to go inside, however on an empty week day it felt some what private (like i hired the whole place or something), making it a perfect place to catch up =)

Candy Apple; Making every girl weak at the knees. A shake of butterscotch schnapps, apple schnapps, apple juice, fresh lime and delicious passion fruit puree.

As a FAN of green apples, the sweet sour tang blended perfectly with bitter yet refreshing flavours. I would definitely come back for this one.

Scarlet Passion; Fresh watermelon is muddled and shaken with Absolut Citron, Alize Wild Passion and lychee liqueur. This drink is double strained and served with fresh watermelon pieces which absorb the refreshing flavours of the drink.

I have to admit, I make the same mistake every single time. I suppose i'm just a sucker for watermelon anything because that's pretty much always what i'll order, but I never really enjoy watermelon and alcohol together so I just don't get why I keep getting it. The description just got me with all its watermelon and lychee goodness. Alvina liked it so it could just be me, but i'll pass on this one next time.

Seafood pancake; A delicious combination of seafood served Korean pancake style

Unfortunately we witnessed them blatantly calling the korean restaurant across the road to order it from them to give to us… Which pretty much took away from the bar’s image for us..

It wasn't that nice either, really bland and hardly any seafood as you can see from the photo.

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2/5

1.5/5

@papagiovanni

Bread made pizza style

This was rather plain, not really worth the price. But very filling!

Bread was nothing special so I will save time and say “ditto to what Anna said :)

Risotto ai Funghi; fresh cream sauce with mushrooms

I thought I would give this a go as my favourite dish is veal funghi. After trying this, my conclusion is, mushrooms with cream sauce taste good wherever it’s put. Although the veal is probably the best partner for it ^_^ On another note, the seats are mainly outside and it was FREEZING, especially after they turned the heater off. Definitely doesn’t help with food digestion when you’re shivering and having to eat at the same time. Also the price points are probably a little high, just because it is located at Bondi Beach and there is somewhat of a view.

Gnocchi Sorrentina; potato dumplings served with a tomato sauce and mozzarella cheese

Gnocchi is actually MY number one top pasta and even in my top 5 fav foods. Due to this reason I have been there done that with gnocchi dishes and this one failed to stand out. The texture wasn’t as chewy as I would of liked it and the sauce didn’t contain a flavorsome tang. I’m not saying this dish is horrible but I just didn’t hit the spot for me :(

2.5/5

3/5

@home

Dumplings

These were DELICIOUSLY tangy & sweet, encased by its soft,tender yet flavoured wrap. The zesty meat ball pieces definitely rolled with ease in my mouth.

Home is actually my absolute favourite place to dine whenever i'm in the city, which is quite a lot. When I first discovered this place, I went about twice a week, sometimes even twice a day. Haha safe to say I was addicted! Anyway, this entree is just divine. The sauce has quite a sweet flavour and it just works perfectly with the chewiness of the dumplings.

Beef salad

There was only one phrase to describe the exuberant combination of spicy tangy zesty refreshing flavours : A party in the mouth !! =)

Okay, this is my favourite. I have ordered this pretty much every single time i've eaten here. It's THAT good. Love how it's quite chilli, but you don't realise it until you keep eating, and by the time you do it's too late. Haha gets me every time but I will probably never stop, I just keep eating. The great thing about Home is, even though the dishes taste exceptionally good, the prices are very wallet friendly. $25 can get two people a tasty meal which will keep you happy and comfortably full. The only one thing that might let you down is the wait to get in. There's always a lot of people during peak times, but they do also make up for it by delivering the food to your table within a very short timeframe.

Pad thai

I usually find pad thai pretty boring because i get sick of the flavours pretty quickly after halfway but this one was awesome! Due to the fact that the noodles were vermicelli ( which are magical noodles that only make me hungrier !!). Overall I would definitely come back for all these dishes, they were beautiful flavours but also quite cheap too!!

This is another one of my usual orders, although definitely not as much as the beef salad. It is just a classic pad thai, but I just think the vermicelli noodles make all the difference. I used to prefer pad se ew over pad thai, however now i'm always ordering the latter, but with vermicelli of course! This version is definitely highly recommended, as is this restaurant.

4/5

4.5/5

@thaifoon

This post is long overdue because we ate these dishes waaay back in early Feb! The photos had been saved with all our other photos but somehow got lost amongst all the folders and content. But then they were discovered so we can share it with you all! :)

We loved the decor, it offered escape from the rush of the rest of the city it was amongst. The crowded yet ambient place was perfect for viewing Sydney city’s beautiful harbour whilst enjoying exotic Thai flavours.. This would definitely be an awesome place to be festive or even just to have a late dinner.

Duck pancakes

From memory we ordered this because of our previous encounter at Monkey Magic, and I have to say this did not match up AT ALL to the one we had before. There was no need for a comparison whatsoever because they were practically two different dishes. A bit of a disappointment.

These were tender with the perfect complimentary crunchy fillings of veggies and juicy duck ..I’ve tasted better but this was sufficient to tease my taste buds =)

Noodle salad

This was quite delicious. And remembering this is quite a feat in itself! The dish was fresh and zesty, just how it should be ^_^

 I quite enjoyed the zesty plush prawns combined with tangy refreshing salad. It was a party in the mouth with numerous flavoursome guests LOL..

Panang curry

Because this is from such a long time ago, my memory of the flavours are a little vague. But it definitely didn’t strike me as unpleasant, so I guess that’s a good thing. It was pretty much very similar to Thai curries that you can try anywhere else, although this one is probably a bit pricier!

The curry was a little sweet but was harmonious as it was smoothly blended with the soft chicken pieces. As I prefer savoury curry i wouldn’t pick it again, but hey i don’t complain either for the taste =)

Also we are thinking of adding scores at the end of every food “review”. What do you guys think about it?

@nawaz

Entree; Spicy calamari with tiger prawns: Calamari rings stir fried in olive oil with ginger, garlic, fresh coriander and Indian spices finishing with a touch of lime. Served with 2 pieces of tandoori prawns on side.

This was one of the most exquisite entrees I have had in a while. I’m not sure if that means I just haven’t been eating out at really good restaurants, or if this was indeed as delicious and superb as I am making it out to be, but I enjoyed every single bite. Not only is it visually appealing, the flavours match up perfectly with that subtle grilled taste.

This entree definitely teased my taste buddies as they instantly fell into attraction with the zesty tingle and plump juicy calamari pieces.

Kashmiri lamb: A mild curry, diced lamb flavoured with staranise and sour cream

I thought this was quite enjoyable also, and accompanied with the rice, made for a flavoursome party in your mouth

It was a little sweet for my lovin, but it did the job in making a nice complimentary tang with the rice!

Chicken butter masala: Tandoori chicken fillets in a tomato - fenugreek curry sauce

Smoooth butter chicken. I have said this before in our previous Indian cuisine encounter, and i’ll say it again… butter chicken can do no wrong :)

As Anna said above, there is no way that butter chicken can EVER go wrong =), loved the creaminess fused with the soft delicate chicken pieces YUM.