Recently in Breakfast Category

In celebration of the new year, I thought it would be suitable to look back at all of my best eats in 2009. Here, I've included some of my most frequently visited restaurants as well as a few memorable favourites.

Most Visited Casual Restaurant: Dong Ba Bun Bo Hue, Bankstown, NSW
I think I have honestly dined at Dong Ba at least once every fortnight in 2009 - joining the regular local slurpers of Bun Bo Hue, a Hue-style spicy noodle soup. It is only $7 and the food (they also serve plenty of other traditional Vietnamese eats such as my second most ordered dish here, the Cambodian Rice Noodle Soup) is served at lightening fast speed. Dining at Dong Ba in Bankstown is always a guaranteed fuss-free cheap and cheerful eat. Another bonus is that the menu caters for all possible cravings of anything Vietnamese so is sure to satisfy everyone. But the best part would probably be their drinks menu which includes the iced black coffee and the avocado milkshake.

Dong Ba
296 Chapel Rd South, Bankstown, NSW

Bun bo hue (Hue-style spicy noodle soup) at Dong Ba, Bankstown - My most visited casual restaurant of 2009

Most Expensive: Le Cinq, Paris
In May 2009, I left home for my first eating extravaganza in Europe. Let me just start off by confessing that I have a really bad habit of not checking prices whether it be shopping or food. My boyfriend almost passed out when he browsed through the 'host' menu at Le Cinq, which I had booked many months in advance. Thankfully I had the 'guest' menu which didn't have the prices so he was able to break the shock to me slowly. We soon justified to ourselves that because we had travelled all the way from Sydney to Paris, it would only be right if we allowed this one splurge and promised to be sensible throughout the rest of the trip. Le Cinq sits within Paris' most luxurious hotel - Four Seasons George V, and is the most elegant space I've ever dined in. Something like 440€ (AU$900 at the exchange rate during that time) excluding drinks and service charge and almost six hours later, we left gleefully with a massive dent on my credit card.

Le Cinq
Four Seasons Hotel George V
31, Avenue George V, Paris, France
www.fourseasons.com/paris/dining

Best Surprise: Wiseman Park Wollongong City Bowling Club
My boyfriend was transferred to Wollongong for six months for work, a few years ago. During a visit to some of his old workmates earlier in 2009, we were introduced to Wiseman Park Bowling Club. Tucked within a senior's bowling club bistro is this spectacular down-to-earth yet slightly fancy restaurant. Think traditional Mediterranean and remember to make a reservation if dining on a Friday or Saturday night as the secret is out, and this place is hawt!

Wiseman Park Wollongong City Bowling Club
Gipps Road, Wollongong, NSW

Favourite City Travelled To: Barcelona
My time in Barcelona can easily be summarized with daily visits to the Boqueria Market - the best market I have ever been to. The vivid display of fruits, seafood and jamon was an amazing sight and simply drool-worthy. The friendliness of locals shouting "hola" and the buzz in eating paella after paella, oh, and the shoes made Barcelona my favourite city visited in 2009. Hopefully I'll get a chance to visit it again soon.

Boqueria Market
www.boqueria.info

Fruit drinks display at Boqueria Markets, close up of paella and tapas in Barcelona

Most Visited Seafood Outlet: Ocean Foods, Drummoyne, NSW
Almost every drive on Lyons Road in Drummoyne has resulted in me stopping by at Ocean Foods. Their floor to ceiling glass walls means there's no running away from the grand display of fresh and ready to cook seafood and salads.

Ocean Foods
154 Lyons Rd, Drummoyne, NSW

Most Visited For Dessert: Mamak, Sydney, NSW
Roti and condensed milk are just made for each other. After countless dinners at other restaurants across the city, Sydney food bloggers, myself included, seem to always end up at Mamak for dessert. The roti tisu is a golden cone encrusted with butter and sugar that tastes heavenly with a swirl of condensed milk and sometimes, even ice-cream. If that doesn't have you drooling, the roti pisang will - with freshly sliced banana that caramelizes within a thin buttery roti. Oh, so good.

Mamak
15 Goulburn St, Haymarket, NSW

Favourite Late Night Dining: Wagaya, Haymarket, NSW
With ridiculous trading hours (Wagaya opens until 2am on most nights), private booths and a quirky touch screen ordering system, late night dining at Wagaya is perfect for those night owls (like me) who want a decent feed. I can't get enough of their soft-shell crab hand rolls, lotus root chips or takoyaki gratin. Unfortunately, all this late night dining has contributed greatly to my growing waistline... Hmm... Did someone say New Years Resolution?

Wagaya
Level 1, 78-86 Harbour St, Haymarket, NSW

Dining at Wagaya - Most Visited Late Night Dining Restaurant of 2009

Best Discovery of a Hidden Gem: Uchi Lounge, Surry Hills, NSW
Uchi Lounge is only a street behind the chaotic Oxford Street but upon stepping inside, you're in a whole new world. It is soothing and peaceful, offering a selection of Japanese sake cocktails and some scrumptious food such as their grilled eggplant with miso and a sprinkle of parmesan.

Uchi Lounge
15 Brisbane St, Surry Hills, NSW

Favourite Bar: Water Bar at Blue, Woolloomooloo
I was introduced to Water Bar after my 25th birthday dinner in 2009. It's the fine dining of bars. As well as offering all the traditional cocktail favourites, Water Bar also features a range of new concept drinks that utilises some surprising and experimental techniques. Elderflower martini with a cucumber air, the kaffir lime dacquiri with coconut foam or the spiced fig whisky sour are just a few to name. The only downside here are their trading hours, closing at midnight on most nights and 10pm on Sundays and Mondays.

Water Bar
6 Cowper Wharf Rd, Woolloomooloo, NSW

Favourite Brunch: Rhodes Phoenix, Rhodes, NSW
Yum-Cha, Dim-Sum, whatever two words you use to call the fine art of eating dumplings and other Chinese delicacies over tea with friends or family, is a weekend hobby of mine. Having discovered the Phoenix group in 2007 - there's four of them: Sky Phoenix, Hilltop Phoenix, Manly Phoenix and Rhodes Phoenix, I quickly became a regular at the Rhodes restaurant which is only a short drive from my place. 2009 saw me dining at Rhodes Phoenix more than ever before. I have such a weakness for their prawn toast!

Rhodes Phoenix
1/5 Rider Blvd, Rhodes, NSW

All day breakfast - coffee and fresh juice

What I've been doing a lot of lately, is surrounding myself with other motivated and passionate individuals who have left their secure full-time jobs and are doing their own thing. There seems to be more and more friends doing 4 day working weeks or even changing careers completely. The inspiration must be contagious.

On this particular day, I had brunch with the fabulous Mel (aka Fooderati). With both of us coming from advertising backgrounds, our passion for food and appetite for new experiences led us to leap towards new opportunities. As we caught up on each other's recent ventures, we soaked in a bit of sun and munched on a delightful breakfast at Pieno in Surry Hills -which is a relatively new little place adjacent to The Winery by Gazebo and opposite Thomas Dux Grocer on Crown Street.

I started off with a freshly squeezed grapefruit juice. It was intensely citrusy and bitter sweet which was exactly what I needed.

I spent longer than usual browsing the all-day breakfast menu and finally put my new waistline reduction obsession aside and ordered the blueberry griddle cakes which were served with melted butter and maple syrup and dusted with icing sugar. They were moist and hearty and generous in serving size too as I only manage to finish off half the plate.

Blueberry griddle cakes (pancakes / hotcakes) with butter and maple syrup

Mel's sauteed mushroom bruschetta with an extra side of bacon was as enormous and hid beneath a promising garden of rocket. The scent of the toasted bread which had been lightly coated with garlic oil was divine.

Breakfast bruschetta of sauteed mushrooms with rocket and garlic oil and a side of bacon

Sometimes, there's nothing much better than a late morning start with a good breakfast!

Pieno
11/285A Crown St, Surry Hills, NSW
Phone: (02) 8354 1303

I'm a big fan of Time Out. I would never visit a city without first consulting the local Time Out guide.

Time Out Sydney's Food Awards 09 winners were announced this week, so let's see who made the cut:

People's Choice
Winner: Glebe Point Diner, Glebe
Runners-up: Bodega, Surry Hills; Quay, The Rocks; Marque, Surry Hills; Longrain, Surry Hills

I'm a bit ashamed that I haven't yet dined at Glebe Point Diner. There are all round positive reviews from other food bloggers, namely, The Unbearable Lightness of Being Hungry, Double Cooked, Lemonade Land and Steph's Food Journey and along with mountain loads of press and editorial reviews, Glebe Point Diner is an obvious people's choice.

Best New Restaurant
Winner: Rockpool Bar and Grill, Sydney
Runners-up: Sepia, Sydney; Spice Temple, Sydney; Etch, Sydney; The Beresford, Darlinghurst

Rockpool Bar & Grill in Melbourne is an absolute favourite. While I haven't been to its Sydney sister, can anyone tell me if it's any different?

Etch is simply full of pretty spaces and their macaroni is to-die-for. The revamped Beresford trattoria is also a clear winner (runner-up in this case) with the locals.

Best Cafe
Winner: Cafe Sopra, Waterloo
Runners-up: Deus ex Machina, Camperdown; Wall, Surry Hills; Ruby's Diner, Waverley; Kazbah, Balmain

Anyone who has been to Kazbah's breakfast banquet will be an advocate. Hmmm, why isn't Dank Street Depot a runner-up?

Best Desserts
Winner: Universal, Darlinghurst
Runners-up: Pier, Rosebay; Quay, The Rocks; Longrain, Surry Hills; Rockpool, The Rocks

I haven't been to Universal, nor Pier or Longrain. But if Quay is any benchmark for the winner, I have to get myself to Universal. I adore Quay's eight texture chocolate cake and their pear creme caramel, sauterne jelly, pear icecream and caramel cream!

Best Steak
Winner: Fix St James, Sydney
Runners-up: Bistro Moncur, Woolahra; Rockpool Bar & Grill, Sydney; Tabou, Surry Hills; Mad Cow, Sydney

Wow, I haven't been to any of these places. What about Prime? Chophouse?

Best Fixed Price Menu
Winner: Bentley Restaurant and Bar, Surry Hills
Runners-up: Assiette, Surry Hills, Atelier, Glebe; Vini, Surry Hills; Marque, Surry Hills

Best Seafood
Winner: Sepia, Sydney
Runners-up: Tetsuya's, Sydney; Manta, Woolloomooloo; Fish Face, Darlinghurst; Pier, Rose Bay

Am I the only one who hearts Flying Fish, Masuya and Ocean Room?

Best Burgers
Winner: Rockpool Bar & Grill, Sydney
Runners-Up: Plan B by Becasse, Sydney; Ruby's Diner, Waverley; The Burger Joint, Darlinghurst; Paul's Burgers, Sylvania

You will have no doubt seen my recent list of where to find the best burgers in Sydney. I still stand by it -although from reading the comments, I need to get myself to Rockpool Bar & Grill and Counter Burger!

Best Cheap Eat
Winner: Black Star Pastry, Newtown
Runners-up: Din Tai Fung, Haymarket; Guzman y Gomez, Newtown; Mamak, Haymarket; Gumshara Ramen, Haymarket

Seriously, how can anything beat Mamak? OK, maybe #chronic ramen is close, but a pastry shop? It must be bloody good, and I have yet to try. But the bigger issue here, is how 6 xiao long bao (soup dumplings) for $8.80 can be considered a cheap eat!

Best Sandwiches
Winner: Malibu, Surry Hills
Runners-up: Pilu Kiosk, 'On the Beach', Freshwater; Big Bite, Sydney; Hong Ha, Hurstville; Plan B by Becasse, Sydney

Best Patisseries
Winner: Adriano Zumbo, Balmain
Runners-up: Croissant D'Or, Potts Point; Yellow, Potts Point; Bourke Street Bakery, Surry Hills; Sweet Belem, Petersham

Ah, Zumbo. Post-Masterchef, Zumbo appears to be the real winner with endless queues and requests for his macarons, croquembouche and the chocolate mousse cake.

Best Noodles
Winner: Gumshara, Haymarket
Runners-up: Pho An, Bankstown; Twisted Noodle Bar, Sydney; Menya Noodle Bar, Sydney, Tan Viet, Cabramatta

I think ramen should be in its own category. But regardless, you'll still find me every fortnight slurping up $7 noodles at Dong Ba in Bankstown.

Best Thai
Winner: Spice I Am, Surry Hills
Runners-up: Longrain, Surry Hills; Sailor's Thai, The Rocks; Chat Thai, Sydney; Crocodile Senior, Sydney

Best Yum Cha
Winner: Fisherman's Wharf, Pyrmont
Runners-up: Marigold, Sydney, Sunny Harbour Seafood Restaurant, Hurstville; Sky Phoenix, Sydney; Golden Unicorn, Maroubra

Best Tapas
Winner: Bodega, Surry Hills
Runners-up: Ash St Cellar, Sydney; Delicado, McMahons Point; Sean's Kitchen, Pyrmont, Catalonia, Kirribilli

Bodega, can anything beat it? I think Spanish Terrazas, Velero and Cantina may be close contenders for runners-up.

Best Pizza
Winner: Lucio Pizzeria, Darlinghurst
Runners-up: Pompei's, Bondi Beach; Rosso Pomodoro, Balmain; La Disfida, Haberfield; Pizza Mario, Surry Hills

Errr, Pizza e Birra anyone?

So what do you think? Are these the winners or losers?

One of the humdrum things which I've had to do since returning from Europe was open 5 weeks worth of mail! Within the stack of retail offers, monthly newsletters and bills was a parcel from Media Moguls Communication. Thank you Sarah, for my next fortnight worth of breakfast!

2 boxes: Carman's Apricot & Almond Round and Carman's Classic Fruit & Nut Round; 200g box of 5

Carman's muesli has been a favourite of mine since my first discovery -and there are several reasons why. I love that it is Australian owned, the company and its founder have great entreprenuerial spirit and the products they produce are tasty and good for you.

These Rounds, which I'm told were only available on Qantas flights up until now, answer my need for a convenient but delicious breakfast. It is great knowing that they are low GI, GM free and contains no preservatives.

Convenient sized and durable packs for on the go

They're available in Apricot & Almond and Classic Fruit & Nut. Mmm, I love waking up to the taste of honey and cinnamon!

A bite into a Round

As the founder Carolyn Crewell says, it is "the next best thing to a bowl of muesli".

Carman's Rounds are available at Coles and Franklin stores, $4.99 for a 200g box of 5.

You know you're in Melbourne once you've eaten breakfast or brunch out, more than dinner.

Madame Sousou is a Parisian cafe/restaurant on busy Brunswick Street, Fitzroy. They have an amazing breakfast menu which stretches from housemade toasted fruit and nut museli to baked eggs with basque style tomato sauce, chorizo and fresh mints. I adored the alfresco street seating and gorgeous French decor indoors.

Street seating

Interior Parisian decor

Cappuccino

My English breakfast tea was served on a pretty vintage tea tray. And good tea, it was.

English breakfast tea

Zen's big breakfast was a gourmet adventure. We appreciated the artfully cooked double smoked bacon which had crispy edges but was not overdone and the scrumptious array of organic sausages, housemade hashbrown, roasted tomatoes, mushrooms and ciabatta toast. I was green with envy until my zucchini and sweet corn fritters arrived. Topped with Tasmanian smoked salmon, avocado salsa and chive creme fraiche and served with a side of rocket, the flavours were so well refined and simply delicious.

The Sousou big breakfast

Zucchini and sweet corn fritters

I'm eating

On the street

Madame Sousou
231 Brunswick St, Fitzroy, Victoria
Phone: +61 3 9417 0400

I recently discovered Sydney Olympic Park Golf Centre's weekend breakfast special and felt ready to retire. Nothing could be paired up so well with golf than a gourmet big breakfast of bacon, eggs, grilled tomato, mushroom, hash brown and chipolata sausages.

Here, I had the big breakfast with my eggs poached -

And Zen preferred his scrambled...

So, what is the special?

Spend $15 or more between 8am - 1pm on Saturday or Sunday on breakfast and get a small bucket of 70 balls free! Woohoo!!

Because I knew I'd be back next week, I did some forward planning and took some pics of the menu.

I think I'll be having the eggs Benedict with smoked salmon next! See you there...

View Larger Map

Sydney Olympic Park - Golf Centre
Olympic Blv. Sydney Olympic Park, Sydney NSW
http://www.sopgolf.com.au

I'm back from Singapore & Vietnam with an extra 3kg in body weight, lighter hair (I had my roots touched up and new highlights done for less than $8 AUD in Vietnam), 5GB of photos to edit and a wardrobe full of new dresses and shoes. Yay!

28 days ago, I boarded Singapore Airline's much talked about A380. I was quickly impressed with the mirror on the fold-out table, the range of new movies & games and the comfort, not to mention silence of the plane. It was smooth travelling.

Here's my window view.

Business class passengers were treated to a wide screen TV and comfy big seats.

This is the upper deck, Economy class.

And here's the spiral staircase linking the upper and main deck.

During my night flight back to Sydney, we received Givenchy sleeping socks...

For breakfast, I had wanted the parsley egg omlette with chicken sausage, tomato & hash brown... but it unfortunately ran out early, so I settled with the fruit, yoghurt, braised egg noodle with beef and mushrooms, leafy greens and a bread roll.

Lunch begun with a smoked salmon salad appetiser... for main course, I had the stir-fried chicken with spring onion and ginger, seasonal vegies and rice. There was even chocolate ice-cream for dessert!

Lastly, this is where I stayed during the 4 days and 3 nights in Singapore:

Parkroyal on Kitchener Road, Singapore
181 Kitchener Road
Phone: +65 6428 3000
Web: parkroyalhotels.com/hotels/singapore/kitchener_road/parkroyal/index.html

Recently, I've noticed that Zen and I are ordering the wrong foods. He asks for the salad or iced coffee and they're always served to me. Excuse me, because I enjoy big hearty meals and may occasionally order as a man would.

On this extremely late Sunday afternoon, we decided to brunch at Bello. I've been here a couple of times before and have loved their generous servings and location. It's a fabulous excuse to impulse shop, although you might not be in the mood after paying almost $10 for a bowl of wedges with sweet chilli sauce and sour cream. So here is Zen's iced coffee with lots of ice cream (which was initially served to me). And below is my frothy hazelnut latte.

iced coffee

latte with a shot of hazelnut

Our orders take a while to arrive... I'm suspecting it was the cafe's near full capacity... and hopefully, they were preparing our dishes, fresh. The risotto does not disappoint. It's a rich mountain of creamy flavour.

risotto marinara

However, I was more impressed with my stack of corn and zucchini fritters.

corn and zucchini fritters with tomato and avocado salsa and bacon

There was a $3 surcharge for the bacon but considering there were 3 - 5 strips, browned perfectly with most of the fat trimmed, I was happy. The tomato and avocado salsa was lovely too; it had cut through the pan-fried fritters and bacon so elegantly.

Cafe Bello
Level Ground, Shop 172, Burwood Westfield (100 Burwood Rd)
Phone (02) 9745 1545

I was down at Wollongong this weekend for a race day at Kembla Grange. So, watch this space for a few more Wollongong posts :)

Saturday morning was cold... and that's the best excuse for a big greasy breakfast. Zen and I strolled down the street to the Mall. Cino Cafe has plentiful seats outside which was already starting to fill up at just 10.30am. We decided to step inside, away from the breeze, and placed ourselves in round leather booth chairs. The tables were slighly high... but this could have been the result of my slouching posture. On my left was a glass cabinent full of delicious treats. There were portugese custard tarts, cakes of all sorts, pasteries and more. Mmmm...

I controlled my temptations and ordered a hazelnut latte. This did not disappoint. It was served in a tall glass with a piece of almond biscotti.

Hazelnut latte

Zen ordered the iced coffee and again we were impressed with the generous serving size.

Iced Coffee

The breakfast menu was expansive too. Cino's have pancakes, croissants, french toast, full or half breakfasts, omelettes, sourdough and jams... you name it. I opted for the full breakfast with my eggs sunny side up. They were cooked perfectly... with the yolk still runny, I lathered it all up on the buttered toast. There was also a plentiful array of mushrooms, bacon, sausages and hash browns.

The full breakfast, $16.50

Naturally, Zen preferred his eggs scrambled... light and fluffy.

Scrambled eggs with the full breakfast

Now that I was all nourished and warm... it was time to battle the wind & bets at Kembla Grange!

Cino Caffe
161 Crown Street, Wollongong Mall
Ph: 4226 1699

For the last four days, Zen and I have been hiding out in Melbourne -another of our spontaneous holidays. I love the internet age... we were able to plan and book everything from airfare, accomodation to restaurants, all just a day before flying!

We boarded a Virgin flight from Sydney airport at 6.30am.

And arrived at the Royce Hotel in Melbourne at around 8am.

Royce Hotel provides stunning five-star accomodation in a super convenient location. It was just a short tram ride into the CBD, which meant Zen and I were able to familiarise ourselves with the tram ticketing system and routes. Our room also had a balcony with panoramic views to St Kilda Road, and the grounds of Melbourne Grammar School.

Interior of Royce Hotel's reception.

This holiday couldn't have come at a better time. As you can see, I was able to experiment with my new wide angle lens -the Canon UltraSonic EFS 10-22 F/3.5-4.5 USM.

Time for a big breakfast! Here we are at the Dish restaurant, which as the website says, is not your ordinary hotel restaurant. It offers a sophisticated ambience and award winning cuisine. And we are in luck! It's a buffet breaky...

Grilled tomatoes, mushrooms, pan-fried bacon and scrambled eggs...

fresh fruits, danish pastry and bircher museli...

Watch out for the next post on The Great Ocean Road!

Royce Hotel
379 St Kilda Road Melbourne Victoria 3004
Phone: 1800 820 090 or +61 3 9677 9900
Website: www. roycehotels.com.au

Tonight, we stayed at the Royal Hotel Kawaguchiko, which had its own hot spa and was only 10 steps from Kawaguchi-ko Lake.

At the Royal Hotel Kawaguchiko, we had a breakfast of fish cake, salted fish and egg with congee, miso soup, and daikon (white radish) with pork in an oden.

We slept in a traditional Japanese bedroom with Tatami mats and futons.

Mum and I dressed up in the Yukata robes the Hotel had provided.

Dinner of smoked whitefish, pickled shallot, tempura and a donabe of octopus and vegies.

Wearing a yukata robe at dinner...

The hotel was walking distance to Mt Fuji!

This is the Peace Park at Gotemba. Also known as the Scent of Natural Civilisation garden.

A lovely Japanese garden inside the Gotemba Peace Park.

At lunch, we were taken to a random restaurant. We were served tempura with...

Udon

The rest of the day was spent at the Yunessun hot springs spa resort which is located in Hakone. Too bad I couldn't take photos inside...

And to end the day, I had the green tea soft cream, and Mum had the mango flavour. If only McDonalds had these flavours in its soft-serve cones.

A traditional Japanese breakfast consists of rice or congee, fermented vegetables, miso soup and some western foods. I found that the buffet's here were much more efficient in that rather than piling up on one plate and returning multiple times, you are able to carry around a tray, and fit dishes of food, seperating the flavours and hot or cold items.

Buffet breakfast (miso soup, bacon, sausages and scrambled eggs and salads) at Tokyu Inn, Osaka

Buffet breakfast (freshly baked bread rolls, Japanese curry and takoyaki) at Tokyu Inn, Osaka

Universal Studios, Japan

Me with Dorothy and Tin Man from The Wizard of Oz

Mum with Charlie Brown

I'm in Sesame Street! (Outside the 4D cinema)

Sitting on a yellow cab...

The pink cafe at Universal Studios Japan

Pink churritos with ice-cream at the pink cafe - Universal Studios Japan

Osaka Takoyaki Museum

Takoyaki (octopus balls) in the making

Takoyaki

For more information, refer to Universal Studios Japan and Shin-Osaka Esaka Tokyu Inn