Food Docket

Dragonfly Café
307 Lane Cove Rd., North Ryde NSW 2113 

Quickie Lunch Weekday

One of our friends in the office was going away to get married, and we would like to take her out for a nice lunch (keeping in mind we could not keep it too long because it was mid-week). We headed down the road to the Dragonfly Café on Eden Gardens.

Being a fan of mushrooms, I ordered the Sautéd Flat, Button, Swiss Brown and Enoki Mushrooms.

The one poached egg, was a little overcooked to my liking. While the middle of the egg yolk was still runny, the outer layer was well overcooked - a result of rapid boiling water. Poached eggs, in my opinion, is best cooked in simmering water, which helps create a more evenly cooked yolk.

I believe the mushrooms were prematurely removed from the fire after it has been cooked with the rosemary as it was a little dry. When stir-frying mushrooms, their juices are released onto the pan. While the mushrooms may seem to be cooked, they should be left alone to allow it to soak up their juices. The flavors were almost non-existent as there was insufficient seasoning.

I will return to the Dragonfly Café because of its quiet surrounding greenery; away from all the concrete jungle of North Ryde that locals here are used to. But I will be giving this dish a miss.

Frango Petersham Charcoal Chicken
98 New Canterbury Rd., Petersham NSW 2193

First impressions

• Busy busy busy! Even at 2pm on a Sunday afternoon.
• From the outside, you could easily mistaken Frango’s for a typical takeaway-only cafe, with long queues in front of glass food cabinets, where diners (mainly from the local community) point to the food they are interested in having.
• There were many little chickens (hence the name Frango’s for baby chickens in Portuguese) rotating over charcoal fire on a rotisserie behind the counter. The fragrant spices with the smell of charcoal lights up the restaurant atmosphere with life, even in this very wet summer afternoon. 
• Petersham has a big Portuguese community here. The diner crowd here are very casual; you feel like you are part of a family filled with life and no worries.

What did I have and enjoyed

• After about 30 minutes of waiting, we finally got ourselves a table. The waiters assumed we were locals, and casually asked what we would like to have as he sat us on our table. A crowded restaurant like this thrives on return customers. The food ought to be good if not awesome.
• We ordered a whole Portuguese Charcoal Chicken, a small serving of tomato rice, two Bacalhau a Moda do Porto (also known as Belinho de Bacalhau, as advised by my Brazilian friend) balls and a serve of the homemade peri-peri sauce.
• The Sumol can drink caught my eye. I had never seen it before in the supermarkets. And it has got passionfruit written all over it!
• A bread roll is then placed onto our serving plate while we wait for the food to arrive.
• When the charcoal chicken arrived, in the middle of our excitement and hunger, we were like piglets rushing for our food. While the charcoal chicken was a delight on the more tender areas like the wings, drumsticks and thighs, I wish the breast was a little bit more tender. However, this slight problem was quite easily solved with a generous dipped of the homemade peri-peri sauce. The multitude of flavors with the tinge of sourness brought the whole thing together.
• The tomato rice was good for me. The hint of tomato was present, but I believe the rice was boiled with some stock, resulting the dish in a very rounded flavor as I had more of it.
• The Bacalhau is sort of a fish cake, but deep fried. The fish used was cod, with a mix of onions and potatoes. I love the texture of the Bacalhau. When I bit on it, I could taste the fish, but the texture of the diced potatoes made it all so nice.
• I wish I had more access to Sumol. I was half expecting it to taste like Mountain Dew; but I was so wrong. The refreshing passionfruit flavor is rejuvenating and seemed to go so well with the variety of flavors I was having that afternoon.

Ginger & Spice Singapore
240 Military Rd., Neutral Bay NSW 2089

First impressions

• Being originally from Malaysia, I am happy to say that if there two things that Singaporeans got it right, it would have to be their Hainanese Chicken Rice and Singapore Chilli Crabs. I visited Ginger & Spice to check out their infamous Hainanese Chicken Rice, which had garnered multiple success stories from word of mouth of my fellow countrymen.
• Dishes were served very quickly - within 15 minutes of order. However, the waitress was inclined to charged us for the Assam Fish which we did not order. Rushing your customers while not writing down the orders may seem intimidating and impressive at the same time, but at the end of the night, the customers will only pay what they have ordered and eaten.

What did I have and enjoyed

• Beef rendang, is a dish with beef simmered in thickened curry (with spices) for hours, rendering the diced beef pieces tender and soft. The combination of spices is key to bringing the flavors together, and Ginger & Spice got it pretty spot-on to the dish I remember fondly back in the days.
• Deep-fried salt and pepper squid may be commonly served as finger food here in Australia; but here, we took a stab at their Squid Kechap Manis. It is simply deep-fried squid tossed in a combination of sweet soy and chilli sauce with a tiny hint of refreshing sourness at the back of the palate.
• Stir fry Kangkung Belachan is a classic favorite dish in Malaysia. Water convulvulus, better known to the locals as kangkung is a type of vegetable with a distinct flavor that is best stir-fried with lots of chilli and prawn shrimp paste (belachan). I was rather disappointed that they were skimping on the chillies on this dish served here.
• I saved the pièce de résistance for last - their infamous Hainanese Chicken Rice. And believe when I tell you, Ginger & Spice lived up to their expectations. The chicken was smooth and well oiled, and cooked to perfection. It was tender and juicy at the same time. It was so good on its own, that I skipped the dark soy sauce and ginger paste altogether.

Spice I Am
237 Darling St., Balmain NSW 2041

First impressions

• Restaurant was relatively empty on a Sunday afternoon. Because I already had my first experience of Spice I Am in their Surry Hills branch, I knew they had a reputation of serving great Thai food.

What did I have and enjoyed

• Steamed fish ball, served with a shot of interestingly refreshing sauce.
• Bour Tod, a Phuket style fritter of green school prawns on crispy betel leaf, crushed cashew nut and coriander. The sweet and sour spicy flavors, combined with the crunch of the cashew nuts and prawns, was synonymous to Thai cuisine. The crispy betel leaves opened up a new world of texture. It is simply something I have never had before in my entire life.
• Chu Chee curry’s main ingredients were quite simply red curry paste with coconut and kaffir lime leaves. While simple to make, when poured over deep fried seafood, it is the best comfort dish one could have. It was appetizing and yet refreshing at the same time.
• The Green Chicken Curry was a dish everyone of us can take comfort in. It was nothing special about how it is served here at Spice I Am and yet we still founds ourselves wanting to have it over and over again even though we were spoiled with other great Thai flavors on the table.
• A special mention dish that, in my opinion, is the most flavorsome of all dishes on the table, is their Pad Prik Khing Crispy Pork Belly. The spiciness, sweet and sour spices combined together with thinly sliced but crispy pork belly just brought the flavors to a level of awesomeness that is hard to beat. This is certainly a must-try dish over here at Spice I Am!
• If there is one dish to fault at Spice I Am, it would be their Tom Yam Goong soup. I was used to sour and spicy Tom Yam flavors of this soup, but it felt like it was just good old chicken broth with a few seafood pieces. It was dull, very much to my disappointment.

Hong Ha Hot Bread
1151 Botany Rd., Mascot NSW 2020

First impressions

• A long queue made up of various ethnic groups, outside an Asian bakery was a good sign of my first experience at Hong Ha. I was thinking, what could be so special about Hong Ha’s spring rolls that no other Chinese takeaway can do.
• Silly me. Their specialty is the Vietnamese Chicken Roll; not spring rolls.

What did I have and enjoyed

• Vietnamese Chicken Roll, of course!
• There is a mixture of lettuce and onions, with a generous portion of shredded roast chicken pieces. This could be just another Vietnamese roll that deserved no special mention. However, in my takeaway plastic bag, I saw a small plastic container filled with a black liquid that resembled plain soy sauce.
• The magic began when I poured a little of the sauce onto the roasted chicken sitting between the warm bread roll. As I bit into the fresh crisp of the bread roll, only then I realized that this was not just a plain chicken sandwich. The umami flavor of the soy sauce and chicken reminded me of Hainanese chicken rice, but served in a bread roll. It was something I least expected and enjoyed very much. Maybe food taste better when it is eaten at the back of your car in a parking lot.
• In my experience, a container of sauce is only sufficient for 2 rolls. Ensure to ask them to top it up, even if they are not happy to give it to you. You will not regret it.

Paul’s Famous Hamburgers
12 Princes Hwy., Sylvania NSW 2444

First impressions

• A greasy spoon takeaway joint.

What did I have and enjoyed

• Hamburger with egg and BBQ sauce.
• There is nothing fancy about the hamburger; just a plain old burger with meat patty, egg, lettuce and tomato slices. However, that being said, there are not many of such greasy-spoon style hamburger joints around the CBD area, which made the experience rather special.
• The Pineapple crush is very refreshing and sweet, with bits and pieces of crushed pineapple fruit simply screams “homemade”!!

Notable icons

• Newspaper cuttings and Food Award posters were in every corner of the shop, showcasing the cafe’s number one spot in the hamburger arena of food awards.

Pho Anh Restaurant
29 Greenfield Pde., Bankstown NSW 2200

First impressions

• A typical everyday Asian restaurant.
• Lots of floor staff standing around the restaurant, chatting with one another while waiting for customers to call out to them for service.

What did I have and enjoyed

• Pho topped with Beef Combination (includes Rare Beef, Brisket, Beef Tendon & Tripe)
• Beef Oil
• Black Beef Soup
• Everyone comes to Pho Anh to ear pho. However there are two side order dishes that are missing from their menu which will blow your mind once you have it - a serve of beef oil and the black beef soup.
• Drizzle a couple of teaspoons of the oil on to your bown of pho, and I promise you, you will never have it without again. It accentuates the sweetness of the soup to bring it to a new level. For the modern Australians, think: a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil vs. plain vegetable oil on your bowl of salad.
• And the beef soup is the essence of pho, without the other herb flavors from the coriander and spring onion. But what makes the soup sweeter than the pho base is the unsightly piece of beef layer skimmed from the top of the stock pot. It is not something one should have everyday; so indulge in it when you can! It certainly blew my mind.

D.O.C. Pizza and Mozzarella Bar
295 Drummond St., Carlton VIC 3053

First impressions

• They open till very late. We decided to head to D.O.C. at around 9pm after highly recommended by the locals here. And boy, they were packed!
• They have Italian-speaking floor staff. When he recommended the pizza with porcini, the hand gestures and the waiter’s search for the right word to describe his love for it, D.O.C. has gotta be the real McCoy.

What did I have and enjoyed

• Pizza ai Pocini c/ wild mushrooms, truffle oil and mozzarella in bianco.
• There were variety of mushrooms on the pizza, each with their own delicate flavors. The creaminess of the mozzarella was just perfect, and truffle oil brought the best together. The dough had a nice rustic soft texture, with almost no distinct yeast smell or flavors. I was in heaven.

Melbourne Bratwurst Shop
99 Queen Victoria Market, Melbourne VIC 3000.

First impressions

• Amongst the deli section of the QV Markets, lie the infamous Melbourne Bratwurst Shop. It was the most popular shop in the section of the markets. The scent of freshly grilled sausages could be sensed from the entrance of the markets.
• This, like most of my foodie adventure in Melbourne, was recommended by my local friends. It is a must-have for the QV Market wanderers on the weekend.

What did I have and enjoyed

• The standard - bratwurst with sauerkraut.
• Honestly, you cannot go wrong with the combination of freshly frilled bratwurst and sauerkraut on a warm bread roll.
• There is texture to the bratwurst, unlike most sausages from the supermarkets where it is filled with processed meat.
• For a weekend afternoon, this is a perfect quick lunch!

Pope Joan
77-79 Nicholson St., East Brunswick VIC 3057

First impressions

• A very cool and laid-back store front with a courtyard at the back of the store.
• It has a very homely feel to it - feels like my first time being welcome into an Australian family home, with the boys inviting me to the back of their courtyard to have a beer under the sun on a cool winter afternoon.
• Few of the tables at the back resemble of small oak barrels with old recycled chairs, where diners are welcome to have a cup of tea while enjoying the morning sun.
• Outdoor dining setting like this is not common in Sydney due to costly real estate. Pope Joan reminds me a lot of my happier casual outdoor-style dining moments in Brisbane.

What did I have and enjoyed

• Warm ginger bread with smoked maple butter
• Crumbed coddled egg, Jim’s black pudding and anchovy salad.
• My friend had the boiled eggs, soldiers, bacon bits and herb salt. Before this, I never thought of “soldiers” being toast bread cut up in strips for dipping in semi boiled eggs. It is a very interesting English-style breakfast, served with a small side of bacon bits to complete the whole dish.
• The ginger bread was excellent on its own. The maple butter, while unique in flavor, did not quite hold up too well in my palate. The strong aged-like buttery flavor was a little overpowering. It is unfortunate that I have not learnt to appreciate the flavors of good quality butter.
• Re-creating the crumbed coddled egg was a skill I appreciated in this dish. While the semi cooked egg was still delicate, the chef had to crumb its surface before gently placing it into a deep fryer for a minute (to avoid overcooking the egg). Truly amazing.
• The charred black pudding, dipped with the anchovy cream-like sauce… in one word, heavenly. I loved them so mcuh that I found myself cutting the pudding into smaller pieces so I could savor each piece in my own luxury.