Masterchef Food Truck, Street Sliders, Let's Do Yum Cha, Parramatta

6:07 PM | Labels: , , , ,



Four different food trucks converged onto Parramatta Church street the other day and they were conveniently ones we haven't tried yet. 

Eat Art Truck


The EatArtTruck (also known as EAT) have recently transformed themselves into the Masterchef food truck bringing in standout dishes of the show.


Vern's Challenge Burger 12
The beef patty had a really good long flavour and whilst juicy and having a nice chew, it's lost a lot of that melting fatty quality a wagyu usually should have. On top of that, it's missing some pickles and cheese which would have given it much more flavour. It's not terrible, don't get me wrong, but it seems like slapping on a Masterchef logo automatically assures you of gastronomical enlightenment but I've learnt today it doesn't. It's a little sad knowing that Eat Art Truck have brought out some of the best food I've ever had like the shichimi chicken wings and beef buns and today's offering was a little average.

Street Sliders


I've had my eye on Street Sliders after stalking here and here but they're hard to get to because they're notorious for being almost Parramatta centric (lucky you) and I'm always elsewhere. They've got combo deals happening and the duo combo (2 sliders, a side and drink for 12.5) looks particularly appealing.


'Smoke'
'Sancho'
The burger action continues with their thankfully more exemplar selection of sliders. Chips have a great seasoning but are a little soft and soggy for my liking. Their sliders (mini burgers) are where it's at, however, and are truly stand out. 'Smoke' has some deliciously soft eggplant with mozerella, red onion, lettuce and a balsamic going on while 'Sancho' goes a little mexican featuring mashed avocado, a zingy corn salsa, pickled Jalapeno and sour cream. It wouldn't be an overstatement to say that they are, quote, "mini flavour bombs".

Let's Do Yum Cha


Yep, it's pretty much yum cha on a truck. Let's Do Yum Cha were a group of caterers before they went into the truck business so they've got a bit of experience behind them. If you've got a knacking for Chinese and they're around, they're your best bet.


(from top to bottom) Chicken Dim Sim, Prawn and Chive Dumpling, Vegetarian Dumpling 2.5 each, 6 for 10
Dumplings are pre-steamed but not overcooked so the 'skins' generally have a bit of chew to them which is good. Flavours are nice although the combinations aren't beyond what you'd usually find in a normal store.

So that's a wrap.


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Matale Chocolates

6:24 AM | Labels: , ,

Buying products is a touchy thing. I'll admit, I've never given much thought on the effects that cheap products puts on farmers on the other end. Most of the time I'm pretty much just looking at the price. I mean most of us do really. 


As a child, I'd always get this image of a farmer being some happy fat male in overalls playing the banjo with all the cows and chickens singing. I'd still like to believe singing chickens exist but I'm a bit more realistic when it comes to the nature of farming now: farming is a tough life. I don't think a lot the farmers in other countries choose to be farmers, let alone are happy people. 

Of late, there seems to be direction that most coffee suppliers are heading in that they're taking greater consideration in ethics of treating smaller farmers with the emergence of rain forest certified coffee beans and what not. The same is happening with chocolate beans now with Matale chocolate.



Honestly, you won't get much of the secondary flavours if you really aren't thinking into it. What you really notice is the intensity of the cocoa and the smoothness of the finish. Whilst the Malekula tastes a little more ordinary, the somia tastes a little more exotic with a pronounced twang of citrus which is quite nice.

That's enough propaganda for one day. Read into it how you will. In the end Matale Chocolates are delicious, they're made fresh and they're doing it right. Keep up the work guys.

Petit4s recieved products courtesy of Thibault & Eloi from Matale Chocolate

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Boathouse on Blackwattle Bay, Glebe

2:37 AM | Labels: , , , , , , ,


Uni days and tutoring are long and arduous. Some people cry, others shop, I eat. Boathouse is semi on the way to my uni but some how I managed to get us lost. Only me. 


It boasts an great ocean view of anzac bridge, the Sydney skyline and the fish markets just across the body of water and a relaxed and refined interior. 



The menu is almost seafood centric so antiquarians rejoice as all the options look incredibly interesting. The careful sourcing here is where this place stands miles above most others, with each location explicitly stated and with an equally great respect for the ingredients.


sourdough, multigrain, dark rye bread & butter
Bread was a standard so-so affair. It loses points for not being warm but gets them back with the clever clever use of an almost stale, dense, dark rye bread where a bite helps clean the palette after each oyster.


Greenwell Point Oyster 4.2
Monboyn Rock 4.2
There's a great selection of oysters to try but we don't know where to start so we're suggested a tasting of three oysters shucked to order. They arrive swimming in clean salty brine (definitely not pre-shucked to dry out in the fridge) which makes the accompanying lemon and vinaigrette a little gratuitous.  


Coffin Bay Angasi 6 each
The Coffin Bay Angasi really is the spot light here and are a real treat; salty and fresh, just really special and in the waitress's words "really in a league of its own". It was one of the first seafoods farmed in Australia but years of over fishing have left the population decimated until a recent effort to cultivate this beauty. The shell is distinctive from other oysters; flatter with a textured pretty shell on the back. Many have mentioned the lasting savoury after-taste so I won't save that it's really noticeable and best savoured til last.


Seared Hiramasa Kingfish 27
Saffron, Red Pepper, Almonds & Chorizo
Our kingfish entree was a gutsy combination with little steaks of kingfish with its meatiness matched well with the bold flavours of smokey chorizo and saffron. I don't know but, I can't quite put my finger on it. I think it was the lacking presence of something fresh and zingy to lighten up the palette and even though there's a touch of grapefruit, it's almost non-existent.


Miso Glazed Shell Harbour Bonito 27
Sweetcorn, Seared Scallops, Puffed Wild Rice
Fall in love with the super fresh, slightly chewy seared bonito which hits all the right notes with slight umami notes and the sophisticated pairing of textural and semi pureed sweet cream corn, crustacean oil and onion rings. There's enough scallop there so you don't feel duped and the waft of aroma is just intoxicating.


Poached Corners Inlet Rock Flathead Fillets 41
Abalone, Shitake & Duck Consomme
We get their rock flatheads as a main, a stark contrast to the previous dishes for it's much more cleaner approach. It's all delicate and dainty twisted with a touch of Asian influence. With the perfectly cooked fillets of fish, there's light duck broth going on, perfumed with ginger and textures of shitake and abalone.

Snapper Pie with Smoked Tomato & Mashed Potato 48
And here comes their signature: the fish pie in all its glory. This is the stuff of legend. For a moment there A got her dish before mine which was a tad unusual until moments later the waiter wheels a trolley for a bit of theater and proceeds to cut open the gloriously golden crusty lid revealing the steaming pink boneless snapper swimming in a deep, rich and creamy soubise sauce. 

The pastry is sublime; layers of crispy puff with the stretchy layers underneath drenched in a ridiculously intense fish stock sauce, made sweet with slow cooked onions and luxuriously savoury with bucket loads of truffle oil. 


Hand Cut Chips & Aioli 12
In retrospect, I think ordering chips may have been a tad overkill particularly with the whole snapper pie fiesta going on but then again I think I may have regretted not ordering the chips after knowing how splendiferous(?) they are. Nice thick cut chips; soft and fluffy inside, craggy crunchy outsides, damn close to perfection. Wait hold that thought, if these aren't perfections I really don't know what are. You know when you get the rare fast food chip that's all hollow in the inside and you get all excited? Yeah that was pretty much every chip for us. But 12 dollars for just potatoes? zzzZzzzZ that's fine dining for you.


Buttermilk Pannacotta 18
Watermelon Granita, Strawberries
A opts for the creamy buttermilk panacotta, a super clean finish to end the long afternoon topped with a really light refreshing watermelon granita studded with strawberries.


Pistachio Cannoli 18
Rhubarb Ripple Ice Cream, Salted Caramel
Although it's hard to pick a hero element for this dish, it just feels complete and everything complemented each other. Crunchy rolls of pistachio cream-filled cannoli were outshone by the really clean rhubarb ripple vanilla studded ice cream. The delicious caramel, of course, quaduples the yummy factor and just a really amazing finale to the meal.



Boathouse is one the lesser known waterfront restaurants but in itself provides unique nuances enough to be an exceptional experience. Whilst not particularly progressive (more classical and traditional cooking than anything else), and not particularly cheap for that matter, and slightly off acid balances, Boathouse at Blackwattle Bay pull all the stops here when it comes to impressing. 



Perfectly cooked fish, really amazing snapper pie, sharp and friendly service but really it's the almost unmatched preparation and respect for the oysters that hits it right out of the ball park here. The picturesque backdrop of Anzac bridge doesn't hurt either. Come for the late afternoon to watch the sun go down behind you whilst feasting away.


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The Morrison Bar and Oyster, CBD

11:45 PM | Labels: , , ,


Morrison's oyster month last month (sorry) was their annual celebration of all things oyster. There was a special 1 dollar per oyster promotion and that drew in raves of people including me.  


The menu's a little bit of this and that but definitely isn't the standard pub affair. There's a little bit of cheffy thrown in the mix here and there and there's enough to get you interested if oysters aren't your think (gasp!). The atmosphere is nice and when it gets a little loud and crowded, you can hunt for a table in the outside for alfresco dining.


Sean's Chicken Lollipops 18
Chicken lollipops are a tad fatty but are deep fried in a southern batter and were super delicious and tender. They are accompanied a really sweet chilli sauce which was a little weird but incredibly addictive.


Oysters 1 each
There's only one type of oyster on available (it seems like the sweet and delicate Sydney Rock varieties if i'm not mistaken) but they're served on crushed ice with a wedge of lemon which gets big ticks. 

You see a couple of chefs rapidly shucking away which loses a lot of that brine but they were still mostly fresh and clean. Erratic shucking and stray shell shards were collateral of shucking for speed rather than precision. You really get what you pay for but who cares! Heck, they were only a dollar each! 

I hear on a regular day there's a greater respect for the shelled bivalves with a much greater selection available and precision shucking but they come at a premium, as they should.



I must also note that their orange juice here is the stuff of dreams. Ask for their fresh made one I'm not sure what they do to it, if anything at all, but it's some how wonderfully creamy and really pleasant. I know that this is a very delayed post and you can't take advantage of this promotion anymore but it seems like they're going on every year. If you happen to stumble on this bar during a late night binge and can brave the huge crowds and tight quarters, you're in good hands.


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Kepos Street Kitchen, Redfern

2:47 AM | Labels: , , ,


Kepos St kitchen is where we're at the last weekend, hailed for its authentic take on middle eastern breakfast, lunch and dinner. Be prepare for the unconventional here, well as opposed to poached eggs and toast that typifies surrounding hip cafes. 



You'll see the likes of falafel, which makes multiple appearances, as well as hummus and tabouli (of course), tahini and harissa. It's situated in the corner of Phillip and Kepos street and bathes in the warm sun by day. Patrons line up and have their names put on a list, by which they're free to roam around to be called back to the restaurant when a table's ready. Still... good luck getting a table. Even by late afternoon and even before they got their chefs hat, Kepos Street Kitchen is Redfern's worst kept secret. There's much competition for the next table even as lunch service is about to end.


soy latte 3.5
Coffee here is mild and smooth although mild isn't particularly how I like my coffees and it's not really packing that caffeine hit of flavour.

tunisian style seared yellow fin tuna, eggplant, tomato, cucumber, egg, potato and harissa dressing 19
The potential of the middle eastern concept is full realised here. It's a bowl filled to the brim with goodness of soft egg, potato, crunchy cucumber, tomato, eggplant and topped with seared tuna. It's missing a bit of that expected chilli kick from the harissa and it's more of a mild hum than anything else but looking around it's quite a popular dish and it's not hard to see why.


falafel, hummus, tabouleh, mint, schiacciata bread 16
Falafel sandwich is a hard eat but worth it with its slightly more crunchier falafel and nutty hummus. It comes with a side of chips which it doesn't mention by they're nice and crispy.



Service was a little more steely and stoic than I would have liked but the food more than makes up for it. It's definitely worthy of a visit, particularly if you're looking for something different.


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