Harajuku Gyoza, Darlinghurst

So it's a Friday night and you want to have a couple of drinks in the cross.  Harajuku Gyoza is a nice spot for a quick snack and maybe down some sake.  The atmosphere is funky fresh and decore is sleek, modern and filled with lots of things to look at.  There are plates on the wall and geisha women walking around.

My friends were saying the pork belly were awesome. We tried a bunch of gyozas and I thought the kim chi gyoza was very different and tasty.  I'm not sure if I am a fan of the other gyozas.  The dessert dumplings were different too, I tried the caramel, apple and nutella gyozas with a side of ice cream.  Definitely worth a try once at least.

I was invited to visit Harajuku Gyoza in Darlinghurst so I brought a long a few gal pals and we also moved onto World Bar afterwards!

Eggplant, Pork Belly, Tofu

Assorted Dumplings

Salad, Plum wine, Beans

Ciders

Sake time. 

Dessert

Lisa's Kitchen

I'm  cooking a bit more these days.  Corn Fritters which a special blend of spices was the dish of choice and it was very tasty if I don't say so myself. ** Hi5's myself.**

Accompanied with some strawberry vanilla cider...

Corn Fritters with sweet chilli and coriander sauce; with a side of salad. 

The Victoria Room, Darlinghurst

My friend had her 30th birthday at the Victoria Room which involved lots of girls dressing up and enjoying high tea. It's a great venue but I always find it to be so dark and therefore it makes you feel drunk when you're not (even when you've yet to have any alcohol).

The sandwiches were good and the sugary treats were very tasty. A good spot if you want to spoil yourself along with some good friends.

Lisa's Kitchen

Salmon, zucchini, spinach leaves, tomato and mozzarella.

A tasty midweek dinner.

Oiden, Sydney

A popular and cheap way to dine like robots on an assembly. It's fun really.  You pick a core dish and then pick a bunch of optionals along an assembly line.  A quick, cheap  way to have a snack.

For the hungry or non small appetite people; this place won't fulfill you but come in for the experience. I think I prefer the place next store but both are always busy so you may have to rock up at a random non eating time or settle.

Salmon and Rice Base with egg.

Noodle Markets x2

A very delayed post.

I went back to the Noodle Markets with two of my girl friends and we had another divine time, eating, drinking (ciders) and catching up on the world of men, love, work, money and the world.  A shared banquet of Vietnamese pancake with prawns and pork, Malaysian noodles and Vietnamese rice paper rolls.

Until next year... I will have to remember to bring my picnic blanket again.

Xo

Prices ~ 15 per dish

Snag Stand, Westfield

When you are craving that salty potato hit but don't want to gorge or over eat.  You're thinking about a quick snack while shopping and you don't want an entire meal.

Mel and I decided to stop by Westfield fancy food court.  We decided to fulfil our salty potato dreams with chips with truffle aioli sauce (yes please!).  I love a hint of truffle!  

Price : ~$5

Cafe Centro, Eastwood

The photos look good but it's a bit average to be honest. I suppose it's one better cafes in Eastwood but it is yet to compare to some of my favourite cafes in Newtown.  If you are hungry though then you probably won't care either way.  It gets busy so the locals must love it.

The big breakfast was average and the corn fritter stack was good.

Leasa's Kitchen

Pasta, salmon, chilli, parsley.

Not my best work but satisfied my hunger after work.

Din Tai Fung, Sydney

The hype is all around the truffle dumplings and the special coloured dumplings at Din Tai Fung.  So what is the verdict you ask?  I absolutely love something different and innovative.  So I'd definitely suggest going and trying things out but if you asked me whether i'd come back for these dishes; i'd probably suggest sticking to the original menu. Din Tai Fung is a great place to eat and I generally venture out there occasionally.

The coloured dumplings had random flavours like BBQ (which was more like meat pie); the others were okay.  The truffle dumplings were tasty because of the truffle taste but a bit steep at $5 a piece. Go for the curiousity factor. For sure. For shiz.

Opening up in North Sydney as well!

~ $30-40 Per person

The original

The truffle - $5 a piece

Colourful dumplings with random flavours

Crispy Chicken

Kansai, Sydney

Kansai is one of my favourite cheap and cheerful Japanese restaurants in Sydney.  A great place to bond with a good friend - it can get a bit chaotic when the restaurant is full but the food is good, it's cheap and cheerful and it's in the middle of the CBD.

I always get the salmon and green tea noodles.  I generally avoid the Bento boxes because I think they're a bit average but I do enjoy all the other dishes.

There's an all you can eat option too.  I don't think it's worth it but it seems to be popular in big groups.  It takes more time for the food to come out when you pick this option for some reason :P

Prices: Entrees ~$10, Mains ~$15, All you can eat ~$30-40

Octopus in Chilli - Wowser

Salmon and Green Tea Noodles

Beef Bento Box

Dragon Roll

Epping Hotel, Epping

So how would I sum up this place?  It's a suburban pub so you can't have grand expectations but sometimes you find little gems in various locations.  I don't think this one fits into that category.  I think the best word that describes this place is humdrum and the food is *shrugs* *points to something random in the street*.  I hope that makes sense.

I ordered the tacos. The fish one was cold and not properly cooked. The other one was OK.  I've been told the chicken schitz was good.

Spooning Goats: I love goats, Sydney

I've now tried all the cocktails at I love Goats!  It's a great atmosphere with retro 90's vibe with the Sega Master System, random board games and decore like you're hanging out at someone's house in the basement.

I don't rate the cocktails except for the Kiwi one so maybe just have a few spirits/beers and chill with some great company. Make bets over connect 4.  Laugh and be merry.

It's hard to find and my friends thought I was taking them into a convenience store but I love joint. You love goats.

I guess you get something from each experience and sometimes it's bittersweet. (don't worry - personal note there).

Kam Fook, Chatswood

I am a massive fan of yum cha, in particular of steamed dumplings.  I was moderately disappointed though as the spinach and prawn dumpling was rather bland and lacking of the appropriate prawn to spinach ratio.  The other dishes were "meh".  I don't think i'll be back. The decore is nice though. Shame about the food.

I don't think I'll be back.  I've been twice now and have had the same reaction. I'd probably go elsewhere like the food court.  You'll get more return on your investment.

Price: About 25 per person

Leesa's Kitchen

About a month ago I made pizza; pizza dough from scratch and all.  It was a night of romancing myself but I thought I would post this to remind myself of how delicious it was.  I usually use the Jamie Oliver recipe for the pizza dough which is tasty tasty tasty.

A few glasses of shiraz went well down too.

Thai Face, Crows Nest, Sydney

Thai Face has atmosphere and is beautifully decorated. It has big portions (for a thai restaurant) and is very tasty.  I hobbled all the way from Wollstonecraft to Crows Nest with a sore ankle but it was worth it.  The Chilli Basil Prawn dish was tasty with a reasonable amount of heat and I also tried some of the Gang Gha Ri Curry which was also delicious. I love roti bread!! 

My friend suggested I put a price guy on the restaurants so for Thai Face, i'd say it's roughly $20-30 per person.  A nice place for dinner with some friends in Crows Nest!