Rockpool Bar and Grill (Bar Menu), Sydney

Neil Perry has a prestigious reputation for Rock Pool and it's delicious food.  More recently; everyone is talking about Neil's burger project store which is a replica of the infamous burger served at the Rock Pool Bar (Served at the bar not the restaurant).  I had to give the original burger a proper taste to understand its comparison and inspiration for Burger Project! Naturally, I indulged in a few cocktails and some hand cut thick chips (Hand Cut Chips $12 add Wagyu Gravy $3) to start off with. I loved the gravy that came with the chips which had real tasty chunks of wagyu in the gravy.

When the burger ($24) arrived, boy did it make an impression. I could see the beautiful ingredients including the bacon (it looks like a tongue). The full description is David Blackmore’s Full Blood Wagyu Hamburger with Bacon, Gruyere Cheese and Zuni Pickle. The meat is perfectly cooked with enough red in the middle and all the trimmings are delicately put together. The meat is very much, melt in your mouth.

This burger is three times more expensive than the classic burger at Burger Project but it's 3x as delicious. It's totally worth it. I can see why Neil Perry wanted to replicate this experience but at a more affordable price but I say.. save your pennies and go to Rock Pool Bar.

I also tried the Steak Sandwich (below) with Smoky Garlic Aioli and Beetroot ($29). This was a nice sandwich but didn't quite leave me with the incredible impression that the burger left. I thought it was a bit over priced for what it was. Don't get me wrong, there was nothing missing or particularly bad about this sandwich. Give it a go if you have enough stomach room for both the burger and steak sandwich.

I'd definitely suggest the hand cut chips over the shoe string chips. If you are a fan of onion rings then you're in luck. The Onion Rings with House-Made Ketchup ($9) did not disappoint. The crunchy batter and delicate pieces of onion meshed well together. Delicious!

Prices: $30-$35 per head plus drinks

Location: 66 Hunter St, Sydney. Be sure to go to the Bar for these dishes and not the restaurant.

Ocean Foods, Drummoyne

The 64% like rate for Ocean Foods is a bit harsh. I would rate it in the 70s. For a slightly posh local fish and chip shop; Ocean Foods claims to have the best fish and chips in the universe. They did win an award a number of years ago but still draw a large number of locals in Drummoyne. The queues can at times be quite chaotic on the weekends at lunch time.  They also have a gelato bar to cleanse the palate. 

For a bargain deal of Fish and Chips ($9.99) available on Monday to Friday or $12.90 on the weekend. You will get a very generous serve of chips. They are beautiful chips, crunchy, salty with soft potato on the inside. The battered fish has a nice crispy crunch with flakey fish pieces. However all combined together, you will need something to break through fried goodness. I suggest a salad or other grilled seafood delights to balance your meal. 

I also shared the BBQ Platter ($27.50, below) which had delicious grilled pieces of calamari; fresh grilled prawns, mussels and scallops. Again, you will be given a generous serving of chips which you may expect given you have paid $30 for this one. The seafood is fresh and delicious. I love it. It's just a bit pricey for the local fish and chip shop which is why I mentioned.. it was a bit posh. 

Get there early on the weekend to avoid the queues! Great food, take away for a romantic picnic!!

Prices: $25 per person

Location: 154 Lyons Rd, Drummoyne. You may need to do a few laps of the bay run after a meal here. 

Burger Project, Sydney CBD

I have held back my opinion on Burger Project deliberately because there's been so much hype!  The 54% like rate on Burger Project is completely harsh. Neil Perry's original burger is $24, the normal beef burger at Burger Project is $8.  You have to judge the product in context of what it is. Burger project is a casual eatery that is fancy fast food. It's so much nicer than Mc Donalds which is not far from the price range these days. 

In the grand scheme of burgers in Sydney Chur Burger comes first and even second time I went to Chur was amazing. Then I'd probably suggest Rockpool's burger and then Mary's which  was good too. However I have come to Burger Project a number of times and it  brings something different and it serves its purpose. I still like it. 

I want to start with dessert because I really enjoyed dessert @ Burger Project. The lamington dessert (below left) and rhubarb cookie dessert (below right) was delicious. The chocolate ice cream in the lamington dessert is smooth and creamy  and the coconut shavings are the perfect combination. The ice cream is lovely with the cookie pieces with rhubarb! At $6, it was a great treat and for value treat. It sure beats any McFlurry any day. 

Now let's get to the menu (above). You have your option of variety of beef burgers, chicken, pork belly and mushroom burgers. Then it's options of hot dogs.  When I first came to Burger Project, the chips were perfecto (I saw Neil Perry in the kitchen) and I suspect he held that high quality as he would with his restaurants. The Beef Burger was delicious and perfectly cooked.

The chips ($5) were crunchy, salty and cooked well. The classic burger ($8) was like a tasty traditional burger from your local take-away shop.  I had a great experience!  But I have to say there were some inconsistencies in my other experiences following this. My first experience was within 3 weeks of Burger Project opening. I wanted to see if his newly hired staff would uphold the Neil Perry standards that everyone expected.

The second time I came here, the chips (below) were oily, odd coloured and less enjoyable to eat. The burger was not bad but it wasn't as enjoyable as the first experience. Aesthetically, I feel like the staff did not present the food as well as my first experience.

The Kim Chi Burger (pictured below) was something different with large chunks of Korean spiced radish covering the traditional beef burger. I liked it because it was unique but I was a it let down by the chips (above).  This visit was 2 months after burger project had opened.

On my most recent visit (pictures below) , I ordered the spicy chicken burger which was nice and the chips this time resembled something closer to the opening so my conclusion is that with a lot of staff being trained and being new to the Burger Project, it's hard to judge by consistency. It is a bit hit and miss.

I still think Burger Project is a nice casual eatery and has been wayyyy too harshly judged by all you food bloggers! I'd stop by for another casual burger!

Prices: $8 for a burger, $5 for chips, $6 for dessert (you must try the dessert)

Location: Upstairs in World Square, next to Din Tai Fung, 644 George St, Sydney

Viet's Pho, North Sydney

Viet's pho seems to have a very high like rate on Urbanspoon so I had to give this another go. I think it is a generous like percentage. For me, Pho is a rice noodle dish with a flavoursome broth that just knocks you over with flavours of meat that is light and full of herbs.

To compare with other Pho restaurants in North Sydney..
1. I've gone to Pho Express which is my favourite Vietnamese place in North Sydney
2. Viet's Pho does dish up a flavoursome Pho (but smaller in proportion)
3. Andy's Sushi  which delivers a load of Asian Cuisines does a cheap but fake broth of Pho. Not Authentic but still enjoyable to eat.
4. "I Love Pho" delivers a reasonable proportion but the broth is not as enjoyable to eat.

With very stiff competition from other local eateries such as the mad greek, my work colleague had food portion envy as he devoured his pork chop dish ($10ish) and was left very hungry. Pictured below is the portion size. Was my friend being greedy?

The Pho ($10) below was nice, flavoursome but I probably agree a slightly small portion than Pho Express. I also had food envy for those who were at Mad Greek!

Prices: $10 per dish

Location: Located within the Forum, 155 Miller St, North Sydney

Mel's Big Family Xmas Do

My friend Mel invited me to her big family Xmas get together. With about 30 people bringing all lots of delicious food together, boy was I lucky to be at this lovely family affair. A slightly delayed post but this absolutely brings Xmas back to life. My tastebuds are dancing right now by just looking at the photos. 

The giant ham (above) which was being glazed repeatedly was succulent and delicious. It was giant sized though and I was left thinking even with 30 people, how are they going to tackle this?? There was a lot of ham left over in the end due to the enormous size.

I also tried an assortment of other delicious forms of pork and duck (below). I also enjoyed my favourite seafood - prawns with one of the Uncle's secret seafood sauce recipe.

Yummy! Thanks for the invite Mel!

HuTong Dumpling Bar, Melbourne

One of the most consistently liked restaurants on Urbanspoon in Melbourne is HuTong Dumpling Bar. I've been coming here for years for delicious sweet chili dumplings and other delicious Chinese dishes and I have yet to be disappointed. At times, this multi-floored restaurant can be booked out so I suggest arriving early or making a booking.  I think it's a very reasonably priced restaurant that is consistent and worthy of multiple visits. 

With rooms full of brown furniture and funky Chinese artefacts on the wall, Hutong Dumpling Bar has real atmosphere.  The must have dish and what Hutong are really known for are their pork wontons in a chili sauce topped with spring onions. The sauce is more sweet chili so don't expect spice. For 8 pieces of the pork wontons in a sweet szechaun sauce, expect to pay $9.80 (pictured below)

The Xiao Long Bao (soup filled dumplings) are $11.80 are lovely to eat with a mix of soy and vinegar sauce. The skin is slightly thicker than my local Sydney favourites such as Din Tai Fung or Taste of Shanghai. Xiao Long Bao just brings all sorts of wonderful together.

For some greens, I had the sauteed snow pea shoots with garlic which were $16.80. I misheard the waiter and was expecting snow peas but the shoots were nice. The deep fried salt and pepper prawns were $26.80 were crunchy with salty flavours. I wish I ordered more wisely to really cut through the batter.  I suggest ordering something liquidy to cut through the batter.

Overall, another great experience and I'll be back when the opportunity arises.

Prices: $30ish per head

Location: 14 Market Lane, Melbourne CBD. 

Mamasita, Melbourne CBD

Mamasita is one of the most popular restaurants in the Melbourne CBD with long queues leading up to its entrance. The very trendy Mamasita has a variety of tasty Mexican dishes to tantalise your taste buds. The trendy decore makes it a great venue to catch up with friends. I'd definitely suggest going early if you want to avoid the queues.

First up was the Totopos (Tortilla Chips) with guacamole and salsa at $9.  Pictured below, I really loved the big crunchy chips. The salsa and guacamole were freshly made and worked well as a starter. 

To share; I ordered the Tamal De Carne De Res ($14) which was the Beef Brisket Tamale, tomatillo salsa, goats cheese crema and slaw. It was a bit spicy but the beef was beautifully cooked.

I also ordered a few tacos which included the must order De Puerco ($6) which is the Al Pastor-Style Pig's cheek, fiercy apple and white cabbage (below left) which was absolutely delicious.

In the middle was the fish taco called De Pescado ($6), this taco included grilled market fish, red onion, salsa, lime with chipotle mayo which was not bad.  The bottom right taco was the De camarones ($7) which had marinated prawns, creamed corn puree, epazote and jalapeno crema. The tacos are the size of your palm so I would suggest two per person at a minimum.

Prices: $25 to $30 per head

Location: Up the stairs, 11 Collins St, Melbourne CBD

Website: http://www.mamasita.com.au/