Anywho, so this year last year’s theme was Mexican and oh boy, were there a lot of dodgy looking moustaches around (fake and real). Anticipating a hot summer (*snorts*), we bought a slightly dodgy-looking above-ground pool and so we had a Mexican Pool Party! We of course had to have Mexican food (albeit made with an Asian spin on it) and lots of booze to go with. Whoo!

Guacamole, Salsa, Pulled Pork... makes Tacos!!

First up were tacos. Unfortunately, the guacamole and salsa were made first and being the pigs we are, we “accidentally” ate most of it before the rest of the taco bits were done. Howie made a commendable attempt in curbing our enthusiasm for the guacamole and salsa, but we could not be denied – they were just too good! Things quickly went downhill when Minh arrived with some Doritos. Good thing there were heaps of the utterly amazing pulled pork and had lots to spare despite our constant nibbling.(...)
Read the rest of Mexican Pool Party (1,000 words)

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Walk upstairs to the bar

Ms G’s opened  to a lot of hype. Everyone was excited about Dan Hong’s next project following the success of Lotus, this time partnering up with Jowett Yu. We all saw what they could churn out at Lotus. Dan, He’s a young chef who is in tune with culinary trends around the world (if you follow his Twitter, he goes around the world searching for inspiration) but also a guy who treks out to Cabramatta for a bowl of noodles in a hole in a wall joint which I’ve been frequenting for 20 odd years since I was a kid.

This blog post is long overdue, we’ve been to Ms G’s a few times since it has opened but we just never got around to writing about it. My memory might be a bit hazy when it comes to describing the dishes and the menu might’ve even changed since our visit. However, just enjoy looking at the photos taken by Minh and get a feel of what Ms G’s is capable of churning out.

Cocktails

Cocktails are served in bubble tea cups, with the wrapping and all. Its a nice and quirky touch, definitely gets people talking and for us, brings back memories of university at UTS where we use to frequent Easyway at least once a day. Subsequent blood tests ruled us all out with diabetes.(...)
Read the rest of Ms G’s, Potts Point (810 words)

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The menu boasted a plethora of Asian dishes, from Thai to Chinese to Vietnamese cuisines, and it took us a while to decide and agree on what to get. Craig, our friend-chef, cautioned us on not ordering too much as he wanted to try out a couple of recipes on us. Awesome. When we had finally decided, we kicked back with our BYO wines and hungrily waited for our dinner.

Despite ordering quite a bit, our dishes soon sailed out from the kitchen.

Salt and Pepper Squid ($12.50)

There’s something quite compelling about salt and pepper squid with my friends. I notice that more often than not, when they see it on the menu, they have to order it. I suspect I might be the same, but nonetheless, I’m glad they ordered this dish as the perfectly seasoned squid was perfectly chewy and soft. Just thinking about it now makes me horribly hungry.

Combination Seafood Omelette ($11.50)

By the time I could put down the camera to start eating, this omelette was pretty much gone! A testament to its deliciousness. I only managed to grab a small piece, but that morsel hit all the right tastebuds (all thanks to that sauce I think!). Eating it with fried rice just seem to make it even more flavoursome.

Sizzling Mongolian Lamb ($13.90)

I love a good sizzle in my food, especially when it’s still sizzling when it comes out. The lamb was liberally saucy (just the way I like it) and was perfectly seasoned. This was another dish that disappeared quite quickly.

Deep Fried Bean Curd with Salt, Pepper and Chilli ($9.50)

I tend to favour steamed tofu over the fried bean curd for some reason, but that’s not an excuse not to try any (though admittedly, I did eat everything else before turning my attention on to this dish). I was surprised at how much I liked it: its soft, crispy shell gave way to a hot and silky inside. Despite the pepper and chilli components, I was pleasantly surprised (again) to find out that it wasn’t spicy at all! Woohoo! Then again, I did studiously choose a piece that was furthest from the chilli bits.

Chicken Pad Thai ($10.50)

Being pad thai fanatics, this dish didn’t last long at all with my friends. I’m not quite a pad thai fan (more a pad see ew person myself), but I thought this dish was pretty decent.

Fried Rice (Small, $5)

As much as I love rice, I simply adore fried rice – especially if it’s a combination! It never gets old, regardless of how much I have it. Some places are a little stingy on the proteins and veggies, so I love the fact that Tamarind is quite generous with the Chinese sausage and seafood. Yum.

Singaporean Chilli Crab

This was Craig’s first test dish and although it was a little different to the Singaporean Chilli Crab I’ve had (not as spicy being one of them), it was still very, very tasty.

I loved how the dish also came with bread to mop up all that delicious sauce.

Blackbean Mussels

Craig’s second test dish, I have to admit, I didn’t taste at all. I’m not a big fan of mussels and while I sometimes do try to at least taste mussel dishes, often times I don’t feel quite up to it. It was one of those times that night, but the girls seem like they liked it!

Shang Dong Chicken

The last test dish was Shang Dong chicken. The girls also loved this dish and I couldn’t wait to bite into that saucy chicken… until I did and found out just how spicy it was. It was almost incomprehensible, as it didn’t look spicy at all! No tell-tale chilli bits or chilli redness… Sigh. But before the chilli ran rampage in my mouth, I did get to taste its saucy goodness. It’s not a wonder that no chicken pieces were left.

Ube Cake!

S graciously provided us with dessert: a Filipino ube cake, which I learnt contains taro and coconut pieces.

We’re so spoilt! The cream was light and the coconut pieces dotted between the taro sponge layers were utterly scrumptious.

Inside Tamarind

Tamarind is in its early days yet, but it’s definitely a restaurant that has a lot to offer. The extensive (maybe too extensive) menu most probably would be streamlined in the near future, as Craig and his team figure out what their customers prefer (insider info! Ooo).

From the wonderful test dishes he’s made for us, I don’t doubt that Tamarind will go from strength to strength (biasness aside).

Tamarind
Shop 6, 368 Hamilton Rd
Fairfield West, NSW, 2165
Ph: (02) 9609 6605
Web: www.tamarind-asiancuisine.com.au

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Now, we didn’t just goto Vietnam to eat. We met up with Teresa and M and spent a few days in Nha Trang in a resort called Hon Tam which was amazing. We had our own bungalows looking onto the water and spent more time relaxing than anything else which was great. That office desk job of mine really does hurt my shoulders, getting massages every day was the least I could treat to myself.   

7am : Outside our hotel

 I’ve been to Vietnam a few times now and the country never ceases to amaze me. It is progressing at an alarming rate, with new roads being built and trendy apartments being completed every week. Unlike some Countries, this doesn’t seem to phase the locals. There is no concept of the rich get richer and the poor get poorer. Food and consumer services are still affordable and the array of street food catered for locals is just amazing. We tried to avoid restaurants as much as possible, with the logic that if a corner street stall sells only one thing then they must be good at it right ?     

left to right : power points hanging in street, Nem noung wraps and a pho shop

 Anyone need to charge their laptop or iPhone ? We spotted a power point sticking out from a power line in the middle of a street, it was hilarious (and dangerous). We also ate lots of Vietnamese wraps, with the one up there being everyones bbq favourite, nem nuong in Nha Trang. What made this version unique was the addition of shaved ripe mango and deep fried rice paper. The rice paper is deep fried and wrapped inside the normal wraps with normal rice paper. This means that with every bite you get this delicious crunch and contrasting textures. Simple, yet effective.     

 Pho, some say it’s the national dish of Vietnam. The thing is, different regions of Vietnam specialise in different dishes so it’s hard to say. Either way, it’s one dish that we HAD to try otherwise it would be considered a failure of a trip. It’s like going to New York and not checking out the Stature of Liberty, you get the drift.     

 We spotted a corner store outside our hotel in the Ben Tanh district. There were 4 or 5 plastic tables set up, with every seat taken. I spotted a spare table folded away in a corner and helped myself by setting up my own table and chairs for the 4 of us. Where else in the world can you do that ? Whilst we were eating, the Police approached the store owners and told them they were set up illegally and had to close up certain parts of their ‘store’ which were too close the road. The cops took away everything which was in the ‘illegal zone’ and left everything else. As you can see in picture 3, they had tiered setup going on with a stand which held all their ingredients. The Police took that all away and threw it in their ute and drove off. We thought that was the end of it all until the owners came back five minutes later with a completely new setup, as you can see in picture 4. This must happen quite often.       

Pho dac biet : 50 cents (AUD)

50 cents a bowl ? Damn straight. Whilst not as big as bowls in Sydney, it’s still an absolute bargain which allows us to have 2 or 3 breakfast meals hah! The broth was aromatic, noodles were al dente but the real surprise was the different herbs and vegetables. There are a few unique ones which are not common in Sydney or Australia pho restaurants. One thing I’ll admit though is that whatever beef they use at this store has nothing on Australian beef. No doubt we have some of the best beef in the world. Either way, this cheap and cheerful bowl of pho on the side of the road was one of my most memorable meals. Sitting on a dodgy table and chair at 7.30am in the morning with a Vietnamese iced coffee, life doesn’t get any better.      

left to right : a hu tie store, charcoal grilled pork, the kitchen and a random sign

 Two other dishes which we ate more than once were hu tieu noodles and com tam. We spotted countless little stores set up on the side of the road, as well as others tucked away in little alleys leading to residential areas. In fact, one of my tips if you walk the streets of Ho Chi Minh City is to keep an eye on alley ways. We found some of the best food in these little alleys, run by husband and wives or mothers and daughters.        

Hu tieu noodles

 Hu Tieu commonly includes rice noodles, pork, beansprouts, random cuts of meat such as liver and giblet and a sweet and aromatic pork both. The broth is usually quite clear and is a light bowl of noodles compared to something like Pho or Bun Riu. The one we had here had carrot in it’s broth, probably explained why it was a lot sweet than usual which actually worked quite well. Once again, fresh noodles and herbs made this a winner, not bad for breakfast number two.     

Com tam store : side street seating

Laneway bars move over, laneway street side dining is the new black (atleast in Vietnam for the past 50 years or more ?) We walked past this alley by accident and when we saw practically every seat taken with local men like above, we had to check it out. Turns out that it was a com tam   store which is one of my favourite Vietnamese dishes.  

Com tam dac biet

Com tam is usually served with marinated grilled pork, broken rice, bi (thinly shredded pork with pork skin, yum). The dac biet (special version) usually has a fried egg on top and an egg quiche of some sort.  What I loved about this store’s version was the charcoal grilled pork, pickles and home made fish sauce. You can see how they manage to run a whole ‘restaurant’ with a small charcoal bbq a few photos up.  

Bittet, I think.

As we we were walking back to our hotel, I spotted 2 motorcycle drivers eating this dish whilst sitting on their bikes. It’s something which I have been seen before and my spidey sense told me to fit in one more snack before we got on with the rest of our day. The closest thing I’ve found to this dish is on noodle pie’s blog  . This looks like a cut down breakfast version which is essentially two fried eggs on a hot plate with pate’, coriander and a fresh bread roll. On the side is a small bowl of soy sauce and fresh cut chili. Mix everything together and I had one of my favourite meals of the trip. The dish was so good that I purchased a few of the pans you see in the photo so I could make the dish myself at home. 

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed my snapshot of our Vietnam trip. I have a few photos left so I’ll whip up a part 2 for next week. Until then, happy drooling and do consider a trip to Vietnam. It’s such a beautiful country with so much history and culture. A trip to the North and South will open you up to totally different people and food. And of course, everything is so cheap. Linda and I bought $500 AUD between the both of us for 7 days and we still had change left. 

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I’ve found when eating out west that Canley Vale and Canley Heights are actually much more convenient when looking for a late night eating location, the majority of restaurants on the Cabramatta strip are closed by 9pm making late dinners impossible. I get a bit worried that no one else has arrived yet, I’ve sent them the address and none of them are familiar with the area, relying on google maps to lead the way. I’m told they start to wonder if they’ve got the right location when a bright red neon sign and a fluro green faux waterwall window dressing light up the pathway – thats when they know they’ve found Hai Au.

Ca phe sua da (Vietnamese iced coffee)

A glass of this makes me wonder what life in Vietnam would be like. Sitting on a tiny stool by the road side and sweating in the humid temperatures while drinking an ice-cold Vietnamese coffee comes to mind. This stuff is strong and I’ve seen people finish the coffee in ten seconds and saying there isn’t enough coffee in it, only ice. This is true, but the idea is to let the coffee slowly melt with the ice.

Steamed Oysters w/ vermicelli noodles and xo sauce

(...)
Read the rest of Hai Au, Canley Vale (753 words)

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As the years went on I noticed this huge batch of pho slowly becoming rarer and rarer at family events, I asked my mum why she didn’t make pho for these family gatherings any more and her answer was quite simple. She was too lazy to (very much a case of like mother like daughter).

Seeing Pho pop up as this month’s Daring Cooks challenge gave me a little thrill, I always thought that Pho would be an exhausting, time consuming exercise that would result in a sub-par results, luckily only one of these things were true! We were given the choice of Pho Ga (Chicken based stock) or Pho Tai (traditional beef stock with rare meat), I of course chose the beef option.

(...)
Read the rest of Daring Cooks, Pho (702 words)

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Lately, I have frequented Cafe Ish and La Gerbe d’Or for my weekend Brunch fix. I figured that it was perhaps time I paid a visit back to Cabramatta as it has now been a month or two since I had my regular dosage of authentic Vietnamese food. Most of us know the typical Vietnamese dishes of Pho, Spring rolls and Crispy Skin Chicken (which I have doubts over whether it’s even Vietnamese or not)

Over the weekend, I was fortunate enough to visit two of my favourite eateries in Cabramatta who both specialise in different ‘house’ dishes. These two restaurants being Dong Ba and Loc Ky. Dong Ba has actually been reported in the Register of penalty notices by the NSW Food Authority. News of this would of unlikely phased any of the regular patrons of Dong Ba as this place is always filled to the brim on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon. The one thing I did notice was that the restaurant looked alot more clean and less cluttered, so maybe it was a good thing that they did get reported.

First stop on my Saturday was at Dong Ba. Dong Ba is reknown with the Cabramatta faithful for it’s Bun Bo Hue and Grilled satay chicken. Inside, it is larger than your average Cabramatta noodle house and the staff are friendly and attentive despite the hustle and bustle of patrons entering and exiting.

A firm favourite of mine is to start the meal with Vietnamese Iced coffee. Vietnamese black coffee is mixed with a generous amount of condensed milk and mixed with ice. The coffee is usually significantly stronger and bitter than most coffee. If you ever try this out, make sure to wait a few minutes to let the ice melt. The Iced Coffee at Dong Ba is just as good as any other in Cabramatta ; copiously rich with coffee and condensed milk.

Grilled Satay Chicken with Tomato rice and egg (Com Ga Sate)

One of the signature dishes at Dong Ba is it’s grilled satay chicken. It normally doesn’t come with tomato rice and egg so you have to request it for an extra $1 (totally worth it). The chicken is tender and juicy and is grilled over charcoal. The aromatic hint of charcoal is welcoming. Pickled radish and carrots also accompany the dish and balances well with the meat.

Ubiquitous Salads

A large plate of salad is accompanied with a bowl of fish sauce with pickled carrots. The colour and range is fantastic with no shortage of fresh herbs, bean sprouts, lettuce and purple cabbage.

Bun Bo Hue

Bun Bo Hue is a spicy thick rice noodle dish which is dictacted by the success of the broth. The broth can make or break this entire meal. As usual, Wikipedia have the best explanaton of this fantastic dish :

The noodle is most similar to the Japanese soba noodle in size and texture. The broth is prepared by cooking beef bones for a long period of time, as well as a large variety of different spices including lemon grass and chili. Shrimp paste is also a very important ingredient.

The soup is spot on this time. You can really taste the individual flavours of lemon grass, chilli and of course a hint of shrimp paste.

Next up was a visit to another favourite restaurant of mine called Loc Ly. It is tucked away in a small shopping alley off John St and is about a quarter of the size of Dong Ba. Loc Ly serves more traditional vietnamese dishes such as Bamboo rice noodle soup with duck salad, but also serves every other Vietnamese dish you can think of.

Ca Phe Sua Da

Once again, the iced coffee is consistently rich of coffee and condensed milk. Too many of these will leave you with a severe case of diabetes, but it’s worth it.

Bun Mang Vit

This rice noodle soup is flavoured by a bamboo shoot based stock. The content is simple, containing generous portions of shallots , bamboo and fried onions.

Broiled Duck with Pickled Cabbages

The duck is broiled with minimal seasoning and topped with a hint of a vinegar based sauce. It is finished with a garnish of fresh asian herbs and peanuts. At first glance this may look like a plain dish, but it excels when eaten with the dipping sauce and noodles.

The duck is dipped into a spicy and tangy sauce consisting of fish sauce , hot chillies, ginger and a host of other unidentifiable ingredients. The sauce is absolutely perfect in that it brings out the tenderness of the duck.

Mi Kho do bien (Not Hu tieu do bien- thanks to Poptart)

This is a dry noodle dish with a kaleidescope of flavour and content. This seafood version contains squid, prawns, fish fillets, shallots, coriander and fried onions. On the base is a sweet hoisin type sauce which is mixed together with the noodle, much like you do when you mix together a pack of Indo mi goreng (the Uni student’s food of choice).

Alot of Vietnamese restaurants don’t serve these type of dishes, which is a shame because there is more to Vietnamese food than what you see at a food court dwelling or a Vietnamese restaurant in the City. I encourage all lovers of Vietnamese food to pay a visit to Cabramatta, Canley Vale/Heights or even Bankstown and try a few dishes which go against the status quo. For the readers fortunate enough to have tried a variety of dishes, what is your favourite ?

Dong Ba Restaurant

40 Park Road
Cabramatta, NSW 2166
(02) 9755 0727

Loc Ky Restaurant

Details coming soon.

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In Sydney we perhaps had the coldest winter I could remember. Never has winter dragged on so long into the year. Lately though, the weather has started to warm up which inspired me into re-introducing two of my favourite summer foods : Salads and grilled meat. For this post, I’ll go through how easy it is to create a healthy and tasty summer salad which can act as a side dish or even a main. A couple days ago I shared with you my basic take on crispy skin pork with crackling goodness, so I hope this recipe is just as popular for the Vege inclined.

There are many versions of paw paw salad. The Vietnamese, Thai and Lao styles all have minor differences in ingredients and aesthetics, yet the taste can differ dramatically with the introduction or exclusion of just one ingredient.

Vietnamese Paw Paw Salad

Vietnamese Paw Paw Salad

The Sauce

• 2 red chillis , thinly chopped
• 4 cloves garlic , crushed
• fish sauce to taste, this can be 1 tablespoon or more depending on your taste
• 2 tablespoon lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 tablespoon water (this is optional but advisable)

• Paw Paw , peeled into thin strips
• Carrots , peeled
• Mint
• Thai basil
• Prawns , cooked and peeled

Paw Paw and prawns

1. This is quite simple, just combine all the above ingredients in a giant bowl. The larger the better.
2. Add in the fish sauce evenly while mixing the salad

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Bar Luck has been around Cabramatta for atleast I dare say a decade. They serve Vietnamese cuisine by trade, but their menu continuously evolves into a fusion of Chinese and Vietnamese which is not unusual for this end of Sydney.

Salt and Pepper Duck’s Tongue

It doesn’t sound at all appealing does it? If you have ever tried frog legs, this has a similar texture and taste. The batter is light and crispy but I find this dish a tad oily for an entree.

Scallops with XO sauce and Vermicelli

Generous servings of XO sauce and vermicelli accompany the sweetness of the scallops. This is pretty standard for this type of dish, two thumbs up from me.

Singapore Chilli Mud Crab 2.8 kg @ $60/kg

Ever since come back from Singapore I have been on a mission for the best chilli mud crab in Sydney. Bar Luck does a decent job at this classic Singaporean dish. The flavour of the sauce itself is spot on, but the sauce is a little on the ‘diluted’ side of things. The lack of egg is also disappointing. In addition, I found $60/kg to be a bit on the high side for this end of town. Sinma Laksa House in Kingsford was only $42/kg.

For some reason, I cant shake off the feeling that we did not get what we paid for. Despite these shortfalls, the crab is delicious and the copious amounts of bread for dipping into the sauce is great comfort food for this time of year.

Seafood steamed beencurd

This dish is hard to explain but it tastes awesome. Underneath the top layer of Seafood, spring onions, chinese mushrooms and a sea of thick sauce is a layer of soft beancurd (tofu) mixed with egg. This dish is steamed until the beancurd and egg is just right.

Salt and Pepper spare ribs

This is one of my favourites and is something I must order. The spare ribs are covered in a light batter and fried until golden. Generous chunks of fried garlic surround the ribs, a wonderful accompaniment.

We might have possibly had bad luck with the crab , but bar that I would come here again. The service is attentive and quick and the food comes out at a consistent pace, therefore not rushing you into your meal like some places.

Bar Luck Chinese Restaurant
Level 1, 94 John St
Cabramatta, NSW 2166
02 9724 7049

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Bo Luc Lac (Vietnamese shaking beef with watercress salad) $9.00

One of my favourite dishes. The beef is tender as usual and the sauce it comes with goes well with the tomato rice. They could be a bit more generous with the salad but apart from that this is as good as it comes. Very generous with the beef too which makes up for it.

Com Tam Tit Noung (Grilled pork with rice) $9.00

Looks simple, because it is. The highlight here is the grilled pork. I think they use charcoal , the taste is divine.

I think I have found a hidden gem within the copious amounts of Vietnamese restaurants in Cabramatta.

Phu Quoc
11/117 Cnr John & Hill Street
Cabramatta, NSW 2166
Ph: (02) 9724 2188

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