Batch Burgers and Espresso - Kirribilli

I'm undecided about Batch Burgers.  It's a cute diner with nice 90's music.  There was too much going on in my burger and there was too much salt in the burger and chips.  Don't get me wrong, I love a good greasy burger but I felt like I had been poisoned with salt and it made me mildly disabled.

I think if I chose a simple burger with less things going on, perhaps it would be in the good category. Expect to pay about $20 for lunch for a burger, a side of fries and root beer.  I would give this place another go.

Root Beer and fries were good.  It brought back a lot of childhood memories.

Tijuanero chicken burger

Vegetarian option

Root Beer and fries

Sea Bay - Repost - The Chives with Lamb Incident

I ordered the chives with lamb and I asked - Why chives with lamb? Why isn't it lamb with clives?

The waitress stared at me blankly and shrugged.  I soon realised why the dish was called chives with lamb.  The lamb was not great. The chives were central part of the dish.  I would say PASS next time on this dish.

The handmade noodles were awesome as per usual. 

Chives with Lamb = PASS

Seabay Hand Made Noodles

Singapore Kitchen, West Ryde, Sydney (closed)

My friend Christina travels for about 40 minutes to come to this suburban Singaporean Restaurant.  I had to check it out because I don't know anyone who would travel this far for Suburban Singaporean food.  The owner says he lives and breathes Singaporean food and comes across as a bit quirky.

The verdict? The food is tasty, in good portions and for value.  I like it.

A definite cheap and cheerful restaurant.  I'll have to try more dishes!

Roti Bread

Beef Renag

Crinitis - Castle Hill, Parramatta

I rarely venture out to Castle Hill but having been sold the dream of "the best steak ever"; I agreed to venture out this way.  Little did I know, I was going to Crinitis!  I love Crinitis; I used to be a regular in Parramatta before it got so crowded and there were lines outside longer than most night clubs.

Castle Hill was crowded but I managed to get a table straight away at about 7 on a Saturday night.  This conflicts with all the other reviews on urbanspoon at present!  There's a great buzz in the restaurant and more importantly the food is tasty. The food is impressive and I am particularly a fan of their fresh pasta.  The giant sirloin steak was pretty amazing too.  

It can add up but the food is great and consistent so I'm not complaining.  A win. A total win. Great work Crinitis!

Giant Sirloin steak

Fetticini Marinara

Side of Veg

Sea Treasure, Crows Nest, Sydney

Sea Treasure is the place to go for yum cha on the lower north shore.  It's slightly pricey because of the lack of competition and some people may prefer to head into the city or go to Chatswood but I think Sea Treasure hits that yum cha spot.

The venue is small and there aren't as many dishes but there's sufficient yummy dumplings for me and enough variety to keep tables happy.

Dumplings baby!

Prawn sesame

Ippudo, Westfield, Sydney

Ippudo !

Pork Bun and Prawn Bun

Fail - Barramundi

Fail = Lamb

Rice and Eel

I came here on a weeknight and there was a bit of a line so it looked very popular.  Unfortunately my experience did not stack up to the hype on urbanspoon or the line.  The pork bun was nice and the prawn bun was nice but the rest of the food was severely below par.  The barramundi was tiny and tasted old. The sauce wasn't pleasant.  The lamb was drenched in this thick sauce and had a large portion of fat attached.  McDonald's would win over this place for me and that is saying something.

Zealous Cafe, North Sydney

Update: They have a new menu and prices in 2015. You will be reading a review from their 2014 menu below.

Following an epic morning of training, Mr Nolan suggested I walk down and check out this cafe.  It's become a regular venue for lunch for me since.  I'm a big fan of the lamb salad but have also tried the chicken salad, tuna salad (pictured below) and will have to try the chicken schnitzel sandwich which my colleague Michael tells me was amazingly delicious.

Delicious and for value - what more do you want !

It's a small cafe so it's more ideal for take away lunches.

Re edit: Added Chicken Salad Photo

Price: $10 per person