Ser Wong Fun (Hong Kong)

When we visited Hong Kong back in January it was in the middle of winter and a perfect season for eating snakes. It may not sound exciting but snake soup is a true winter delicacy is Southern China.

Along with a few local friends we headed to Ser Wong Fun at Central, it is only around the block from the Lan Kwai Fong district.

The snake soup was … interesting but the shredded meat did only taste like chicken breast. The true surprise was the rice dish cooked in clay pots with Chinese sausages – real comfort food for winter.

Details:
Ser Wong Fun
30 Cochrane Street
Hong Kong

Aria Catering at TEDxSydney

At the TEDxSydney event at the Sydney Opera House today, we were treated to really good food throughout the day. Both the stomach and the mind were greatly satisfied on the day.

The catering had the ‘Rebel Foods’ theme that promoted sustainability and focus on minimising waste. While the crowd was eating seemingly ‘recycled’ food, the taste definitely was not compromised. I liked the Ash cakes with compote marmalade more than the traditional scones. The mussel shell congee with crunchy prawn head was a revelation. And the roast pig by Feather & Bone was a great sight.

Pei Modern (Sydney)

We had a quiet dinner mid-week at Pei Modern restaurant in Sydney. The dining room is large and opened, quite different from my Melbourne experience.

All the dishes were shared and I enjoyed the salt cod croquettes as well as the pork and fennel sausage with onion rings – the savoury hits that were much needed after a hard day’s work. I also recommend the duck egg sauternes custard for dessert.

Details:
Pei Modern Sydney
Four Seasons Hotel
199 George St
Sydney, NSW 2000

La Bohème Restaurant (Glebe Sydney)

The family visited La Bohème Restaurant for a Bavarian feast to welcome the new year. The menu consists of a variety of dishes across Eastern Europe.

Portion size of the meat was much bigger than expected. The wife and I had a Bavarian feast platter for 2 and we only managed to finish half. The schnitzel was really enjoyable with the meat not dried out.

While the ambiance of the stonemason building was great, the echoing of sounds made it harder for conversations than usual – so do request a table at the corner.

Details:
La Bohème Restaurant
Stonemason’s Cottage
199 Glebe Point Road
Glebe
http://laboheme.com.au/

Momofuku Má Pêche (New York)

We arrived at Momofuku’s Má Pêche restaurant on a very wet New York morning for breakfast. Situated inside a Midtown hotel, it is very close to the shops on 5th Avenue.

The breakfast menu is consistent with the Asian theme and has a twist from the Momofuku’s classic. I had the egg bun with pork belly which was delicious especially with the crunchy fried potato bits. The rice cakes with fried egg and sausage was really rich and filling, great for a cold New York morning.

Details:
Momofuku Má Pêche
Located in Chambers Hotel
15 west 56th Street
Between 5th + 6th Avenue
New York, NY 10019

Vulcan's (Blackheath Blue Mountains)

We visited Vulcan’s at Blackheath for a Sunday lunch as we heard the legendary chef-owner will be retiring. The dining room was packed on what was the chef’s second last weekend of service.

The highlight for me was the crab soup entrée with red rice. The broth was clean yet packed with seafood flavour. The famous oyster blade was tender and similar in taste to a good beef brisket at Chinatown (maybe the hour long wait for main course dulled our taste buds). The yogurt brulee was our favourite dessert, and it was fun to taste the chequerboard ice-cream.

Details:
Vulcan's
33 Govetts Leap Road 
Blackheath NSW 2785

The Heritage Court (Hurstville Sydney)

While there are many Asian restaurants serving a mixture of western and Asian dishes, few can deliver consistency across cuisines. We went to The Heritage Court and it exceeded our expectations. The menu offer meals from Hainan chicken rice to grilled lamb racks.

My mixed grill platter was very generous. While it may not be as enticing as one served in a true American steakhouse, every cut of meat was of decent quality.

I also recommend the chocolate fondant for dessert. If only it was served with a premium scoop of ice-cream…

Details:
The Heritage Court Restaurant
33-35 Dora Street,
Hurstville NSW 2220
http://theheritagecourt.com.au

Encasa Deli (Sydney)

I have walked past the new Encasa Deli on the way to work many times and have finally popped in for lunch with a colleague earlier this week. Inside the shop there were all kinds of ham, sausages, cheese, and olives on offer. For lunch I had a bocadillo, sandwich made from fresh baguette and a combination of the meats available. My Argentino contains generous amount of South American sausages with Chimmichurri sauce.

Perfect place for a lunch on the run.

Details: 
Encasa Deli 
135 Bathurst St 
Sydney NSW 2000 
http://www.encasadeli.com.au/

Bavarian Bier Café (Crows Nest)

We went to the newly opened Bavarian Bier Café at Crows Nest, at the former Counter Burger site, for a weeknight dinner. The newly refurbished restaurant matches the décor of the rest of the chain, with a bar at the centre anchoring the long benches and roomy booths. Service was polite and attentive.

The food was consistent to my other experience at Bavarian – generous portions of sausages, pork knuckle, schnitzel and other German fare. The pork knuckle was huge, not too salty (which we liked) but the meat was slightly dry. We will come back for the schnitzel challenge…

Details:
Bavarian Bier Café Crows Nest
118 Willoughby Road
Crows Nest
NSW 2065
http://www.bavarianbiercafe.com

Bistrode CBD (Sydney)

We started our Friday night early at Bistrode CBD, the restaurant upstairs of the popular Hotel CBD bar. A favourite among the business diners, the modern dining room wasn’t full for the night.

The $39 Spring feast menu available for September was great value. Portion size was decent and the quality was consistently good. The zucchini flower tart was light and flavourful, and the pork & veal sausage had real chucks of meat within. We ordered the special pate as an addition entrée – rich, smooth and again generous. It was a satisfying meal.

Details:
Bistrode CBD
Level 1, 52 King St 
Sydney NSW 2000
http://www.merivale.com/#/cbd/bistrodecbd