El Loco at Slip Inn, Sydney

I just want to go back to El Loco. I have a slight addiction I think. Luckily one of my friends had birthday drinks at the Slip Inn which gave me an opportunity to try their fries, salsa/dip with corn chips and indulge in those tacos. This is my favourite booze food.

After a few vodka cranberries, the food was probably more tasty because of the inherent tipsiness that ensued. My favourite salsa/dip is still probably at Mexico in Surry Hills (which has since closed) but these snacks are still good.

Fries with chipotle sauce - Chipotle fries served with chipotle mayo $ 7

Salsa, avocado and corn chips - Corn chips with Guacamole and salsa  $6

Tacos! $6 each (slightly more than the Sussex version)

Art of Gelato Michelangelo, Easter show

I've been told that the Art of Gelato Michaelangelo is a very popular chain with a store in Fairfield that would rival the hype and quality of the more famous Gelato Messina.

A salted caramel ice cream from Art of Gelato Michelangelo was just what the doctor ordered which was followed by a good dose of Wood Chopping with some good company at the Easter Show.  The salted caramel ice cream was tasty but I think I have to go back to try all the other flavours.  There was quite a line but the whole easter show is crowded and full of children.

Ice cream is the bomb.  Forget the frozen yoghurt craze. This ice cream cost me $5

Easter show food - Waffle Dog, Sydney

Did you go to the Eastershow and eat lots of ridiculously tasty but unhealthy treats like cheese on a stick? Pluto Stick (fried hot dog)?  Did you try this years' waffle dog?

I personally avoid all these sorts of treats but a large part of me was wondering what the new waffle dog was like. For $5 at the Carousel Cafe, you can have a waffle dog which is a hot dog encased in a waffle batter.  You have the option of having maple syrup or tomato sauce to accompany the treat.

The verdict?  Waffles and hot dogs do not complement one another and this does not taste good. However if you just want another hit/dose of heart attack than go ahead !  

Yoghurtland, George St, Sydney

As a inexperienced frozen yoghurt eating blogger, I'll tell you about my experience.  I stumbled in here slightly tipsy with a friend who likes frozen yoghurt.  The young man running the store was very polite and when I started bombarding him with questions about the different flavours - he was only happy to tell me which flavours were horrible tasting and which ones were ok to tasty.  I tried a few flavours before just settling for a taro and a chocolate one.  I topped up with strawberries, lychee balls, oreos, brownie and chocolate flakes.  It was a nice treat but not amazing.

In my current state, I was also very perplexed and confused about the messages on the yoghurt cups.  Cows do not dream of pushing out frozen yoghurt from their utters. In my cow dreams, the cows use mascara on their long eye lashes and dream of making ice cream - the real dessert. None of this frozen yoghurt bull shit fake dessert.

For the two yoghurts below it was $10.

A few people have said to me that Yogurtberry is way better than yoghurtland.  Given I am not a big fan of frozen yoghurt (in Australia at least); I don't know if I can really comment.  Come by and give this place a go.  Ask the staff which flavours are good and taste the yoghurt and judge for yourself.

Assembly Bar, Sydney

Assembly Bar is my favourite bar. I like the atmosphere and I constantly bring friends here to hang out over a beverage or two.  The food used to be good but I've had some pretty dodgey food when it gets busy so I suggest just drinking here.

I like outer part of the bar with the fake grass, the tables made out of doors and greenery on the walls. Inside, it's dark with brown, cushion couches on the right, tables with stools in the middle and little milk crate like seats upstairs.  It's trendy but not wanky.

I love it.  My staple drinks (vodkas, beers) are about $8-$10 each with cocktails ranging from $18/19

I also love a touch of truffle mushroom sauce with my chips.

Come here for a chill drink with a friend or a quiet drink with a date.  Go inside in the dark if you're with a date for some subtle flirting :)

Korean Food Adventures

In April 2014, I went to Korea and vastly expanded my Korean palette.  My love of kimchee also significantly grew. My very first meal in Korea was amazing. Dumplings, noodle soup with a side of kimchee. A delicious but cheap and cheerful joint in Seoul.  This place was in Myeong-dong

The markets in Myeong-dong were amazing for street food too. A very popular dish was the sausage stick.   I loved the egg cake which is the second photo below.  Finally, I bought a potato stick but I also saw the potato stick with a sausage in the middle. 

Then there was an array of other treats like a small trio of waffles at this cafe where it's set for a drama series called Price Cafe.  It was a bit over priced but a nice setting to enjoy a special treat. 

The Korean BBQ was pretty good with a big dash of egg. I had this one at a Korean Chain called Baek Jeong which again wasn't far from our hotel J Hill. They give you a massive side of egg.

Based on trip advisor, we also went to Gogung Myeongdong restaurant which was beautifully decorated and was good for bibimbap but it didn't really rival the bibimbap on the plane on Korea Air. So upon reflection, perhaps not ideal if you only have a few days in Seoul.

When you go to Seoul, you must tried the Korean Fried Chicken! Our concierge recommend going to Chicken678 which did not disappoint! The chicken was amazingly tasty, crunchy, cheaper than your KFC chain and the chips were to die for.

Also my travelling partner Mel insisted we go to Tosokchon which is famous for its Ginseng Chicken because of it's medicial benefits. There was a massive queue so be patient.  I didn't really rate the broth for its taste but it was very comforting and seem to make my friend Mel less sick afterwards!

We also got something naughty with the Ginseng Soup which was the onion pancake. It was massive but so very tasty. A must buy with the Ginseng Soup.

Our last meal in Korea was the best. A little secret restaurant in Myeong-dong called Grandmas Noodle soup. You MUST eat here. The noodle soups were nice but you must get the rice cake noodles the the sushi looking like dish. You'll have to point as I have no idea what this was called. 

Shoyu Japanese Restaurant - Sydney CBD (now closed)

There are so many Japanese restaurants in the Sydney CBD and so I generally stick to my high quality favourites but a friend had suggested catching up at Shoyu.

Prices: About $15-$20 for mains. $30-35 per person including drinks and entrees

To be honest; there were some highlights and some "do not order" again dishes. To start us off, we started sipping on some beers and ordered some edamame ($5.8) which was lacking in salt.  Don't even bother ordering the gyoza ($7.8) which was not tasty as it was over cooked and the shell was just burnt crispy skin.

We also ordered the sashimi main ($23) which was fresh and tasty. The Udon Tempura was a win as well. It was tasty and homely ($15.80).  I'd definitely come back and give some of the other dishes a go. Check it out folks. It's a nice cosy restaurant with good atmosphere. My friend tells me it's a good place for lunch as well.

Japanese twins

Adriano Zumbo Patissier, Sydney

There's a reason why I don't follow the hype.  And let's be honest, Adriano Zumbo has a lot hype around him and his food - on Masterchef and all different forms of media. I don't follow the hype because it's not as enjoyable for me because I have heightened expectations and it's not the same as trying something for the first time with no expectations.

So when someone surprised me with two zumbo delights; I didn't have time to slumber in the hype. I just tasted both the Mylo Can and the Thyme Passion Cake...

Prices: About $10 per cake

The green sponge on the Mylo was soft and within there were several layers of different textures. It was a highly rich and tasty cake and very complex in taste/textures. Perhaps because I am a zumbo virgin; I found the dessert very rich.  It was an experience though and I now understand why zumbo is special.  Worthy of the hype.

The thyme passion cake was beautiful but after a dose of the rich Mylo cake - I was struggling!  I couldn't really taste the thyme but the passion cake was beautiful. Packed with a passion fruit punch and again, several layers of different tastes and textures.  You just need to crack into the sweet shell. A great cake. So you just have to prepare for that very rich hit! It needs something to really cut through the richness of both cakes. Take the cakes home with some ice cream and coffee!!

Thyme Passion Cake $9 and Mylo Can Cake $9.5 (back)

Abhi's Indian, North Strathfield

Indian is a very popular cuisine but some would argue is hard to find quality Indian.  This was the highest rated Indian restaurant in North Strathfield so how was my experience?

All the food was very high quality and tasty and while I'm no expert on the topic of Indian food; it was a nice dance on the tastebuds.  I don't think it quite rivals some of the food i've tried in Harris Park but the atmosphere, customer service and experience was of a higher quality.

Prices: About $20 per main

The entree was amazing and was a special.  I would strongly suggest asking for recommendations from the staff if you are not an expert.  It was a mini burst of flavoursome, yoghurty texture with that papadum-like crunch on the outside.

The two curries that we ordered were quite nice and were well accompanied with the rice and naan.  The dessert was an indian cheesecake and my dinner date thought it was really unique and tasty. I personally am addicted to the American style cheesecake that I probably didn't appreciate the different taste.

Any Indian food experts have any thoughts on Abhi's?

It was a nice change to the usual oriental Asian food that I eat a lot of...

Papadums

Ennai Kathrikai ($18.8) Baby eggplant and banana chillies in a ground paste of cashew, peanut, sesame, coconut, cooked in Hyderabadi style 

Chicken Makhni ($21.8) - Tenderless boneless chicken roasted in Tandoor then blended with fenugreek, tomato and cream

Naan ($3.8)

Basmati rice $3.2