Showing posts with label Cafes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Cafes. Show all posts

05 February 2024

Old School Kafey, Haymarket

Craving of something like cafe food and something fancy last weekend.  So, we landed at this quirky looking cafe owned by Thai.  This place used to serve sweet and dessert only but now they also have savoury dishes in the house.  We tried their toast and also spaghetti. 

Curry chicken toast $19

This toast looks amazing.  The bread was smeared with good amount of butter then toasted to golden brown yet inside was still soft.  Also, the toast came with katsu chicken pieces lying on the bed of creamy omelette and some curry sauce flows on top of them.  It is accompanied with baby spinach leaves and cherry tomatoes dressed with Japanese sesame salad dressing.  This dish tasted pretty good actually.


Beef with pepper sauce toast $28

We also tried their black pepper beef toast.  It was similar with the curry toast earlier, only the different was the meat and sauce.  I still prefer the chicken curry one for taste and flavour wise.  Somehow, chicken curry and toast blended much better together.


Aglio olio spaghetti with grilled sirloin $29

They cooked the spaghetti to al-dente.  This wasn't just a simple aglio alio dish.  It got a little bit Thai influenced.  They added some basil and chili into this spaghetti.  It was delicious and I also like the fact that they cooked the wagyu to medium-rare just what I like. 


Boscaiola fettuccine with salmon $27

I found that their fettuccine was a little too sweet.  Otherwise, it would be perfect. 


Iceberg bingsu (L) $24.90

This cute-looking ice-shaved was so refreshing.  Lychee flavoured ice with some fresh rock melon and watermelon.  It was sweet and fresh at the same time.  For the drinks, I think they were slightly too sweet, especially their butterfly pea coffee. 


Milo volcano $16.90

Croffle with nutella

Matcha orange $9.90 and strawberry velvet soda $9.90

Ice latte butterfly pea and mango yogurt $9.90 each

Old School Kafey
459 Pitt Street, Haymarket
Open: Monday - Thursday 1pm - 11pm and Friday - Sunday 1pm - 11:30pm


30 October 2023

La Renaissance Patisserie & Cafe, The Rocks

This classic pastry cafe is one of the best cafes in town selling Parisian patisseries.  They have been in this business for over twenty years.  I absolutely love their cakes and sweets selection.  They also have savoury items available in the shop as well.  This place makes a great breakfast and morning tea outing especially on those clear blue-sky days.  There is a not-so secret courtyard located at their back door.  With more space and tables under the warm sunshine.

 
If you come from Wynyard/Circular Quay station, walk along George Street toward The Rocks.  When you see this Belgian Chocolate Cafe in the corner, turn left and La Renaissance just behind them.  It has LaR sign on the top left of the building or otherwise it is very easy to spot, the one with lots of customers.  








Mocha $4.50

Earl Grey tea $4/pot

Rare roast beef sandwich $12.50

Mushroom quiche $8

Coffee eclair $8.80

47 Argyle Street, The Rocks
Open: Daily from 8am - 4:30pm (except weekend until 5pm)

15 September 2023

Auvers Dining, Darling Square

 
Auvers Dining.... Most of you Sydneysiders probably ever heard or dined in this cafe already.  They have been around since 2016, so quite a few years ago.  But I only had a chance to dine in this place last weekend.  I'm pretty slack, I know.  Many people recommended this place for their delicious food and beverages and instagrammable platings.

So, let's go and take a look of what we had that night and Octie Appetie, guys...  But before I start, my apologies for the pictures in this blog.  Some are quite dark and some maybe a bit blurry.  Because we were sitting outside and there wasn't enough lighting (just an excuse from my poor photography skills hahahha).  However, those dim lightings created a romantic atmosphere though.  

Egg noodle with edamame and grated parmesan $12

This simple egg noodle dish served with edamame and a handful of grated parmesan cheese.  Surprisingly, this dish was absolutely clean and delicious.  It is also made a great vegetarian dish.  Kids like this and adults absolutely love it too.


Karaage and chips $14

Nothing much to comment on this dish though.  The name and its look are purely justify itself.  It is what it is.  


Bone marrow with brioche and shio garlic butter $21

I am a big fan of bone marrow.  Whenever I see bone marrow in a restaurant menu, I will definitely order it.  Yet this place didn't disappoint me at all.  Rich in fat and buttery texture with a hint of garlic flavour, this roasted bone marrow paired perfectly with toasted brioche as well.  This dish is insanely satisfying. 


Salted egg calamari $18

Crispy calamari enveloped in the house's salted egg seasoning and lemon curd.  It was a good dish.  The calamari meat was chewy yet tender at the same time.


XO crab meat $20

Another great dish here, XO crab meat served with ikura or salmon roe and some puff balls.  That balls were like we normally get from Indian restaurant, called pani puri dish.  The XO sauce is just right, not overpowering at all.  With those crispy balls, it was surely the best way to enjoy this luxurious crab meat.


Salmon and watermelon salad $23

This smoked salmon served with fresh watermelon and other healthy goodies, like radish, cherry tomatoes, mixed greens, goat curd, lemon curd and salmon roe.  This salad came with sesame dressing.  So many things on one plate but all flavours complement each other.  The crispy wonton gave an extra crispiness in the sense of texture.


Burn miso duck $42

Burn miso duck came with butternut puree, red wine jus and lentil crust served with a generous block of potato gratin cooked with duck fat.  The flavour combination was spot on.  Especially, that potato gratin, it was amazing and not soggy at all.  I haven't had any potato gratin this good until tonight.   However, the duck itself was quite a let down.  The meat was too chewy to my liking. 


XO molluscs spaghetti $38

Beautiful colored dish, nicely presented.  This squid ink al dente spaghetti served with different type of seafood.  It got some pipis, clams and tobiko or flying fish roe.  With crunchy bits on the top that made from typhoon shelter garlic crumb.  Typhoon shelter is actually a style of cooking that featuring tossing oil with garlic and panko breadcrumb until they all become golden and crispy.  This menu was brilliantly delicious.


Sousvide sirloin steak $38

The medium rare sirloin steak served with charcoal celeriac puree and mustard jus.


Auvers pancake $26

Their matcha pancakes were soft and fluffy covered with matcha glaze, not too sweet which is great and it also came with red bean paste and raspberry sorbet.  I'm not so sure whether raspberry flavour is the right partner to this pancake dish, however its sweetness counteract the bitterness from matcha pancake itself. 


Pandan brulee $12

We finished our dinner on a high note and thanks to this pandan brulee dish.  I can strongly taste a Southeast Asian flavour in this dessert.  Pandan custard on the bottom was smooth and creamy.  The sugar crust on top, they used palm sugar instead of white sugar.  My tongue was doing a happy dance from this delight.  By the way, we went for a second brulee.  One was obviously not enough. 
 

Hot chocolate

The Queen in red $9

It is a mocktail drink that made of strawberry, pomegranate, passionfruit, pineapple, lemon Juice and tonic water.


Yuzu x Sakura $23


Yulli's brew Amanda mandarin IPA NSW $14



#They are opening up another dining in Rhodes Waterside location next Thursday, 21 September 2023. If you were in the area, why not give them a shot.

Shop No.04, 12 Nicolle Walk, Haymarket
Ph: 02 9188 2392

They open for brunch daily from 8am-3pm (on weekend, opens at 9am)
For dinner, Sunday - Wednesday from 5pm-8pm, Thu until 8:30pm
On Friday and Saturday dinner, they close later at night.

08 September 2023

Urban Jungle Cafe, Rhodes

 
Another hype cafe for Sydneysiders is this Urban Jungle Cafe.  They have a few branches around Sydney like in Rhodes, Parramatta and one shop in Southern Sydney, Hurstville.  This place is decorated with green leaves and flowers that kinda give the impression of you were in the jungle, a friendly jungle though. 

 

Hazelnut latte

Fresh orange juice $8

Southern chicken burger $19

This Southern fried chicken fillet was juicy and tender, came with maple chipotle BBQ glaze, homemade slaw, American cheddar, pickles, and served with fries too. 


Wagyu cheeseburger $21

A thick slab of grilled wagyu beef patty served with some kind of special sauce on a brioche bun.  It had some caramelised onions, pickles and cheese in the burger and also came with fries on the side.



This time of the year, they serve seasonal truffle menus in the house.  So, we gave it a go for 2 items on this special menu.  Truffle congee and truffle parmesan fries.  Although I really wanted to try their churros as well but we're too full after those main meals.  So, probably I'll give it a go next time. 

Truffle congee $25

This truffle congee, I didn't realise when I ordered, it is actually a vegetarian dish.  So, it comes with black fungus, spiced tofu, deep fried wonton sheet, fried egg and of course the hero of the dish, truffle.  You can add some extra meats from the options like chorizo, bacon, etc.  It was a good congee dish, though the truffle flavour was too subtle and light or it could also be the condiments just too strong in flavour.  Am I going to order this dish again next time? Hmmmm..... probably not. 

Truffle parmesan fries $13 with added fresh grated truffle for $12

Everyone loves these fries.  It was a pretty big portion of fries and they topped with truffle flavoured mayo and grated parmesan cheese and we also added extra grated truffle on top.  We definitely could not get enough of those truffles.  They all went well together.  Very happy with this dish.

Rhodes Waterside, 43/1 River Boulevard, Rhodes
Open: Monday - Friday from 7am - 4:30pm, 
           Weekend from 8am - 5pm
Ph: 0450 452 138

29 August 2023

Little Spoon Fusion Cafe, Chippendale

Chippendale has turned themself into one of the trendiest and hottest suburbs compared to a few years back.  Nowadays, some are even calling it "Hippendale".  There are numbers of funky and creative cafes in the area.  And we definitely needed to go there to try them.  So, one fine weekend morning, we visited Little Spoon fusion cafe, located right behind Central Park.  This cafe serves Japanese fusion food and drinks.  I did check on the internet before coming here and I saw this grilled Angus beef with some sort of green soba and it looks absolutely gorgeous.  I was so sure that I have to try this dish.

 
The place was already packed when we arrived and luckily, we just got their last spot without even have to wait at all.  Good sign..



Turmeric latte
They did a really nice milk froth but for me, the turmeric here was way too strong.  Anyway, it still was a good drink.



I can't really remember the name of this juice but it was super refreshing and delicious too.  I'm sure that it has some mixture of berry juice in there.


Ham cheese burger for my kiddos

Soft shell crab tempura udon

At first from reading their menu, we thought this dish would be a soupy udon dish, udon with a clear soup base like we normally get in any Japanese restaurants.  When it arrived in front of us, we were pretty surprised with the look.  I mean in a good way though.  Although to be honest, before we tasted it, we presumed that it would be a boring dish.  However, after I took my first bite, it completely blew my mind.  I can taste slightly tanginess in it and those furikake and shrimp roes lifted up the whole flavour.  It was surprisingly enjoyable and delicious. 


Angus beef soba

This dish looks exactly like what I imagined.  The beef was perfectly cooked, medium-rare.  There was some kind of spices around the edges of those beef slices and texture wise, it was crispy on the outside and tender inside.  They gave plenty of meat there, it could be for 2 persons, but I can definitely have it for myself too.  For the noodle itself, to be honest, I like the taste from udon dish much better.

Well spent weekend morning with these delicious foods.  My tummy was surely happy.  And we will certainly come back here again.  Octie Appetie.. 


Little Spoon Fusion Cafe
81 O'Connor Street, Chippendale
Ph: 0426 571 179
Open: 7 days a week, 8am-3pm and until 3:30pm on the weekends