Mango Coco, Haymarket

Why choose between savoury and dessert when you can have it all?  From decadent desserts to mouthwatering meals, they've got it all!!!  At first, we were quite sceptical to try savoury dishes in a dessert shop.  This shop was originally a full-on dessert shop.  But because their menus are too good to be missed.  At the end, we were gobsmacked by how delicious their savoury dishes were.  No dodgy, mass-produced food here.  They're all about quality.  And let me tell you, the food was a feast for the eyes and taste buds.

Kor moo yang $19.95 (grilled pork neck)

 

Tom yum mama soup $26.95

This tom yum dish was remarkable, characterised by a thick and pungent broth.  Not so spicy, just a gentle whisper.  The roast pork was crispy goodness, whereas the squid, though tender, exhibited a distinct fishy flavour.  

Pineapple fried rice with prawn $22.95

Pandan creme brulee $21.95

Their pandan brulee was visually stunning and its flavour was incredible.  The creme brulee had a pleasingly creamy and smooth texture.  It went very well with coconut ice cream and fresh berries.

Creamy mango bingsu $23.95

Their bingsu were the perfect balance of sweet and not-so-sweet, making them a crowd-pleasing treat. 

Thai tea bingsu $23.95

Thai tea latte $7.90

Mango Coco

421 Pitt Street, Haymarket, Sydney

Ph: 02 80657034

Spoonful Thai Restaurant, Epping

Recently, we uncovered a Hidden Gem of a Thai restaurant in a suburb. The place is called Spoonful on the north shore of Sydney, Epping.  Although, I won't say that they serve authentic Thai food here, because they adjusted their taste to mild levels and their menus are pretty modern.  Despite the fact that the restaurant was slammed on Friday evening, Thai people were rarely seen dining there.  As someone familiar with the authentic taste of Thai cuisine after eight years I had been living there, the food here not Thai traditional kinda dishes but I can confidently say that this restaurant does a great job in producing modern Thai food and capturing its essence.  The foods here are well presented too.  

 

Fish cake $10.90 for 4 pieces

Chili basil soft shell crab $29.90

Beef salad $22.90

Cinnamon duck $26.90

Massamun lamb shank $27.90

Overall, their foods were all spot on.  The lamb meat was so tender to the bite and not so gamey.  The salad was fresh.  That deep-fried soft-shell crabs were crisp and well-seasoned.  In terms of flavour, they were delectable.  

Their dessert menus were creative as well.  We had their deep-fried ice cream and mango gelato.  Let me tell you!!  That mango gelato was absolutely a crowd-pleaser.  Gelato was encased inside a mango shaped white chocolate then drizzled with more mango sauce and whipped cream served on the side.  It is gone in a flash!!

Then, we ended this lovely evening with some fancy cocktails.  I ordered a milo martini for myself, and it was amazing.  If only I knew the recipe, I'll be making this and indulge in this deliciousness every night.

Mango delight gelato wrapped in white chocolate shell $10.90

Deep fried ice cream comes with chocolate/caramel sauce $15.90

Cocktails - pina colada and milo martini $16.90 each

Spoonful Thai

1B, 6 Chambers court, Epping 

Ground floor of The Langston tower Epping

Ph: 02 9128 9898

Lunch: Monday - Sunday 11am - 3pm

Dinner: Monday - Saturday 5pm - 10pm (Sunday until 9pm)

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

Satang Thai Infinity

Satang Thai takeaway is one of my favourites to go for classic Thai dishes.  I've recently found out that they have rebranded their shop and opened another restaurant inside the World Square, more for an upscale market.  Their menus differ from the original store.  In here, they serve lots of seafood products and more like a dine-in restaurant vibe.

Fresh oysters at market price - We had huge pacific oyster today

This oyster is as huge as my palm.  It was ultra fresh and I could tell that they were just freshly shucked as well.  Although I prefer to have it only with squished lemon, but those Thai condiments like chili jam, seafood dipping sauce and deep-fried onions made a nice compliment to this fresh oyster.

Kon Pee Talay $44.90

This kon pee talay dish has variety of seafood from blue swimmer crab, prawn, calamari, mussel and salmon.  They were bathing in a Thai spicy fermented fish dressing.  For garden-fresh, they also added some sweet corn, cherry tomatoes, sliced red onions, chillies and carrot.  The portion was generously big.  With such a big portion, it is good for sharing between 2-4 people.  

Prawn cake $15.90

Duck salad $24.90

This duck salad dish was not that bad but not good either.  Flavour-wise, it was pretty standard but the duck meat itself wasn't that soft and tender to what it supposed to be.

Pad macaroni with prawn $22.90

This macaroni is a simple dish yet taste so good.  My kids love it.

Grilled beef rump $22.90

I am a fan of beef and am a big beef eater as well.  I always take beef seriously.  Unfortunately, they let me down with this dish.  The meat was overcooked, so it was quite tough and chewy.  

Satang Thai Infinity

Word Square, 15/91 Liverpool Street, Sydney

Ph: 0410 922 695

77 Restaurant and Bar, Sydney

A Korean BBQ or Japanese BBQ is pretty common, isn't it?  How about Thai BBQ or they normally call it, moo krata.  First of all, the griller is different and they don't use charcoal.  For Thai BBQ, you not only get to grill your meat, but you can also get to put your ingredients on a broth like hot pot on the same griller plate.  Probably, I'm guessing that the original idea must come from the person who can't decide his/her meal. "Hmm... should I get a BBQ or a hot pot meal!!!  Ding..... How about have them both together at the same time."  Anyway, whoever invented this must be very genius.  So now, we can get to enjoy a tasty meal under one roof.   

Another great advantage is we don't need to fly to Bangkok to be able to enjoy this.  We now have a restaurant serving moo krata in Sydney and the best thing is, it comes as a buffet.  The price for an adult starts as cheap as $29.  It's included unlimited vegies, meats, and seafood from the display fridge.  Also, DIY papaya salad, hot food from the hot bar, drinks and boba milk tea.  Yes, you read it correctly.  Unlimited boba milk tea. So, gooooood.

They also have premium quality meats as part of their premium buffet option with the price for $55/pp.  However, if you pay by cash, it will cost you only $45.  So, don't forget to caryy some cash.  You need to order these premium beef and other seafood items by scanning the QR code.  So, basically with premium buffet you still can get all items from a standard buffet plus premium items as well.

The way Thais do their BBQ is firstly put a pork fat on the griller plate and rub it around from time to time.  This way is to make the meat not stick to the pan.

Dipping sauces

For standard buffet

Premium beef menu

 

DIY papaya salad

My successful trial

Unlimited boba milk tea

Loss count to how many glasses I had

Unlimited ice creams

Thai-style dessert

77 Restaurant and Bar

77 Liverpool Street, Sydney

Open: everyday from 12pm-12am

Price: Standard buffet $29 adult / $45 for premium buffet - cash payment ($55 - card payment)

          Kid below 4 yo is free