Top 10 late night dining spots in Sydney
I can relate with anyone who gets hungry in the wee hours of the morning. So I’ve put together a top ten list of my fave restaurants for late night dining.
- Superbowl's (35 Goulburn St & 41 Dixon St, Sydney) menu caters for all your typical Chinatown cravings up til 2am every day. Feel like a midnight splurge? Try the delicate peking duck. Or if you're feeling peckish, I'd recommend sharing a pork and preserved egg congee (with deep-fried bread sticks of course), stir-fried pipis in a spicy XO sauce and one of the best salt and pepper prawns. Definitely give the noodles a miss though!
- Seoul Ria (Level 2, 605-609 Cnr of George and Goulburn St, Haymarket) beats Superbowl by an hour, opening until 3am daily. This is the place to be for all-things Korean. Their kim-chi pancakes are scrumptious but be prepare to queue up if you're planning on dining here during normal eating hours.
- Pancakes On The Rocks (4 Hickson Rd, The Rocks)... you can't ask for more from a place that offers breakfast 24 hours a day.
- Hey Hey Kebabs (Parramatta Rd, Auburn) defies the common kebab and pizza joint by offering sandwich pressed kebabs and crispy fried chips which are seasoned generously with chicken salt, leaving you feeling moreish at 4am. The friendly service and odd jokes makes this place a winner with inner-westies.
- Harry's Cafe De Wheels (Cowper Wharf Rd, Woolloomooloo) is the legendary late night eatery that has been serving up pies, peas and mash for decades. Harry's operates til 2am Monday - Thursdays, til 1.30am on Sunday and 4am on Fridays and Saturdays.
- Mamak (15 Goulburn St, Sydney) makes the local Malaysians feel at home. They serve nasi lemak, roti kaya, cendol & ice kacang all day, right through to 3am.
- City Extra (E4, Circular Quay & 301 Church St, Parramatta) is a commercial-type cafe covering a little bit of every cuisine, 24 hours.
- Guzman y Gomez (Bayswater Rd Cnr of Pennys Ln, Kings Cross) makes it possible for you to munch on authentic Mexican quesadillas, tacos and burritos until 10pm Sunday - Thursdays and 2am on Friday & Saturday.
- BBQ King (18-20 Goulburn St, Sydney) do great Chinese dishes but are a tad pricey. Good thing they're open til 2am daily 'coz where else would you get such crispy glazed BBQ meat cuts this late?
- Star City's Trophies Foodcourt opens until 3am on Sunday to Thursday and 6am Friday & Saturday. They're a bit like an international food court. Cheap, tasty and umm, fast.
June 03, 2008
New Shanghai Chinese Restaurant
As I'm making my way to Shanghai Night (confusingly, the dumpling / noodle house next door), a woman fiercely slides open the door of New Shanghai and beckons us to sit down.
The menu was practically identical to its rival except this place was cleaner, brighter and dare I say better?
Replacing the torn fluoro menu posters were LCD TV's... and the corner table and chair was transformed into a modern open kitchen. Throughout the night, I watched as the cook effortlessly kneaded the dough and wrapped trays after trays of dumplings and buns.
These are my absolute favourite. They're steamed mini pork buns, which are also known as 'xiao long bao'. I love how they're steamed to perfection... the first bite always lets out a squirt of steam and soup which is ofcourse full in pork, ginger and soy flavour. They were delish!
Soon after, these uber crispy dumplings arrive. They're exactly what we wanted. Piping hot pastry with tender juicy morsels of pork mince and coriander inside.
The Shanghai-style spicy noodle soup with bamboo, pork and beancurd was good too. Although I still preferred the handmade noodles at Northern Noodle House in Haymarket.
The bill came to $25. A bargain for 2 full bellies!
New Shanghai Chinese Restaurant
273 Liverpool Road Ashfield
Call (02) 9797 7284
April 21, 2008
Auburn Baladna Pastry
I've made my own baklava at home plenty of times. While it's fun mixing and matching different nuts, syrup to pastry ratio and wacky shapes, nothing beats walking into a baklava pastry store. The huge display here offers more varieties of baklava than you can imagine.
Here's what I ended up with:
The long ones in the back-right are lady's fingers cashew baklava... these are crispy, buttery and not overly loaded in syrup. Splendid. The round disc of pastry with cream has been an all time favourite of mine... the soft fluffy cream balances out the sweetness so well. Ah, and my second most loved baklava would have to be the king's crown of long kounafa pastry which resembles a bird's nest full of whole pistachios. It's pure heaven.
Auburn Baladna Pastry
Opens 8am - 10pm daily!!!
150 South Parade, Auburn
Phone: 9649 2324
March 04, 2008
cheap and delicious, Auburn Chinese Restaurant
I have found it.
Fresh and cheap seafood that doesn’t compromise on taste! Okay, so the service can be a hit and miss at times, but the food is casual Chinese at its best.
On a good service day, you’ll be greeted with these salted peanuts as an appetiser. On a bad service day, expect to walk into the kitchen yourself to grab additional utensils or even to refill your own bucket of rice.
Live mud crab can be cooked to your desire for $45 per kilo. From my experience, this is completely below the market price of most decent Chinese restaurants in Sydney! Tantalize your taste buds with a fierce XO sauce or go for the traditional ginger, shallots and garlic.
The best thing about this restaurant is probably the genuineness. You get what you pay for. There’s no worrying about the chef cheating you by keeping a crab leg to himself, or by cooking a smaller crab than the one you were showed.
During my recent two visits (funnily enough, they were 3 days apart), the crab was 0.850kg and 0.630kg… this was perfect for 2 people, keeping in mind the e-fu noodles were a must to soak up all the gorgeous live crab flavours. I haven’t stopped raving about it since. A seafood dinner for two, for less than $50 in total!
The crab was delectable. The flesh was sweet, definitely fresh (we were shown the live crawling creature and weight) and simply divine. Chunks of shallots, ginger and garlic were braised through a thickened stock sauce.
It doesn’t stop there. They have live tanks of barramundi, huge lobsters, king crabs, pipis and oysters… don’t let the murky tanks, crowded tables or colourful foreign posters fool you. To be honest, I don’t speak or read Chinese either… but have recently been most impressed with the waitress’ and restaurant owner’s improvement in English.
My other favourite dishes at Auburn Chinese Restaurant include the pork ribs in spicy salt, combination hotpot with tofu (below) and steamed oysters with soy, coriander and shallots.
You know what? You might even find me back there tonight…
Auburn Chinese Restaurant
138 South Parade, Auburn
(Opposite Auburn Station)
Closed on Tuesdays
Read about my previous entry on Auburn Chinese Restaurant.
December 11, 2007
7ettimo
Some time last week, I was invited to dine at one of Norton Street's new pizza joints... operated by my sister's colleague's brother-in-law. Ha! That was a mouthful.
I was pleasantly surprised at the cosiness of the restaurant; the interior was long and terrace-like. The original rustic steel frames were exposed, complimenting the orange and beige hues. We sat further inside, away from the large mirrors -ensuring that none of us would be preoccupied with checking ourselves out.
While we looked through the menu, I admired the affordable prices and drooled over the blackboard specials. These yummy complimentary tomato bruschettas were brought out on a bed of baby spinach:
Check out these cool pasta colander lights -
The portions here were perfect. Between the four of us, we happily devoured a salad, pasta and 2 large pizzas. The salad was a luscious mix of green leaves, anchovies, sun-dried and roma tomatoes, feta cheese and balsamic.
The fettucine salsiccia (sausage) consisted of thin strands of al dente pasta, tossed in a light tomato sauce with meaty bits of tasty sausage. It was scrumptious with a sprinkle of chilli flakes.
The Campollo was covered with chicken, basil, Camembert and possibly capsicum and tomato.
The seafood was more gourmet and twice as tasty... I found myself finishing off 2 big slices.
Desserts at 7ettimo included cakes and gelato. The mango gelato was delectably coated in a mango chocolate shell! Yummo. The tiramisu gelato and marble cake were a little ordinary... it left me thinking about some cannoli! (LOL, it rhymes. Try to rap that!)
The night soon evolved into random talk of cars, jobs, hobbies, what 'Zenith' meant... and what Christina is like at work versus home! It was past 10pm and Norton Street had just awoken.
Overall, 7ettimo makes delicious & simple home-style pastas and pizzas with a surprisingly affordable price tag. I'll be a regular here, that's for sure.
7ettimo
165 Norton Street, Leichhardt
December 10, 2007
re-visiting the fish markets
With my new Canon 50mm f/1.4 USM Lens, I hit the live tanks at the Sydney Fish Markets:
Sydney Fish Markets, Pyrmont
Open 7am - 4pm daily
Web: www.sydneyfishmarket.com.au
December 01, 2007
5 year anniversary at Flying Fish
This is the view of the Sydney Harbour Bridge from my seat. Fabulous aye?
Flying Fish is located in a warehouse along Pyrmont's Jones Bay Wharf, just off Pirrama Road. The story hasn't changed much since Zen and I celebrated our 4 year anniversary at Aria Restaurant. Monday morning, I had asked Zen to make a reservation at Ocean Room... Friday morning comes and he finally makes the call, only to be informed that they were booked out for a private function. Flying Fish was second on my list, so off we went to a double booked table.
We arrive early and eager at 6:00pm with a 6:15pm reservation. We're reminded that they must clear the table at exactly 7:45pm for the next table and the waitress also recommends we go for a 2 course, of either entree and mains or mains and dessert. If the weather permits, we can even take our dessert and tea or coffee to the outside deck.
So, it's 6:00pm and the restaurant isn't ready yet. We sit outside on the bar as the lounges have been taken by business suits. I order the cheeky cheeky mocktail which consists of crushed mandarin, caramelised something and ginger beer. Zen has the Peroni... one after another.
It is now 6:30pm and a few new arrivers have been taken in. We signal that we're ready and are swift away, upstairs to the best seat in the house. It's a private table for 2... facing the cloudy harbour. This is my view of the kitchen (raw bar)... I loved the huge timber walls and light features.
The service is kind and efficient. We're brought out warm linseed or white bread rolls, warm butter and sea salt flakes as the waitress introduces the daily specials and live tank.
We order the Seafood Tapas to share as an entree and it arrives in no time. The scampi sushi was fresh and so tasty, it was my favourite of the four. The other tapas included a kingfish sashimi and an eel dish.
My main course was the Humpty Doo barramundi. It was cooked to perfection with soft flaky flesh. The figs were sweet and ripe, and the pear and herb salad was crisp and simply delicious.
Zen had never seen white asparagus before but was delighted with the taste. The Wagyu was char-grilled to a tender medium and was much bigger than it looked.
Now, look at these huge hand cut chips with chilli salt. They were thick, golden, crunchy and so flavoursome.
At precisely 7:40pm, not rushed at all, we asked for the bill and left our gorgeous table view. There were a few seats outside and the rain had cleared... but we were too full for dessert.
Flying Fish is now one of my favourite restaurants. The ambience was stunning, the food was fabulous and the service was sweet.
Happy 5 year anniversary, Zen.
Flying Fish restaurant
Jones Bay Wharf, Lower Deck
19 - 21 Pirrama Road Pyrmont
T: 9518 6677
W: www.flyingfish.com.au
November 29, 2007
brunch at Bello's
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.
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.
However, I was more impressed with my stack of corn and zucchini fritters.
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
November 05, 2007
Rhodes Phoenix, Yum Cha
I have just discovered a local Yum Cha that is comparable to those in the City. Rhodes Phoenix is neatly tucked away from the hustle and bustle of Rhodes Shopping Centre (also home to giant outlet Ikea). It is the 4th child of the Phoenix Restaurants family, the other siblings being Sky Phoenix, Hilltop Phoenix and Manly Phoenix; so I suppose it's success isn't really that surprising.
Marketed to Westerners, among the 500 seats are projector screens of cartoons and sport matches... these are entertaining yet frustrating since the chatter around the restaurant means the shows have to be played mute. The furnishings aren't the usual chandelier with masses of gold and red either... there were dark mahogany cabinets, spotlight lighting and dark drapes. English speaking staff helped a lot also.
First up was the classic Har Gow. These were prepared the traditional way with whole prawns, wrapped in a perfect -not too thick or sticky rice flour sheet.
Another traditional item was the Ham Sui Gok... not as big or crisp as I've previously had, but still it was sublimely filled with a mixture of pork mince, shitake mushrooms, bamboo and black fungus.
The Fung Jeow was absolutely divine. It was so tender and smooth... I think this absolutely exceeded standards... it's the best i've had :-)
Sui Mai... what can I say? It's the usual meaty dumpling... I ordered this dish for the man, as he likes his meats... haha! The prawn toast was a childhood delicacy. Fried on top of toast, I loveee everything about it -the crunch, the prawn paste, the sesame bits... mMmMm...
The desserts at yum cha have evolved in the recent years. Thumbs up to the fusion inspired Green Tea and Coconut Jelly, and the Mango Pudding.
Be sure to go early on weekends as it queues up.
Rhodes Phoenix
Level 5, Rhodes Shopping Centre
May 12, 2007
Ceci Korean Restaurant, Strathfield
I might as well try break the record and update this site with an astounding 4 posts in 1 day! So what if 2 of them have nothing to do with food?
You may recall, that a couple of weeks back, I went through an obsession with Korean food. Kimchi, soups, fatty pork rashers, BBQ marinated beef, salads of sweetened mash potato, bean sprouts and shallots are some of things I had craved.
CeCi is a small authentic Korean restaurant on The Boulevarde in Strathfield. The interior is adorningly cute with pink walls, floral wallpaper in shades of purple, blue and green and framed cartoon prints.
The pork and kimchi soup was deliciously spicy. Tofu, kimchi and slices of fatty pork floated in a vibrant red soup.
The seafood soup was the exact opposite. It was filled with delicate flavours of blue swimmer crab, red dates, pipis, water chestnut, tofu, prawns and mushroom. The broth was so light and cleansing. Yummo!
CeCi Korean Restaurant
37 The Boulevarde Strathfield
(02) 9746 7710
April 17, 2007
Spicy hot pot... ready for Winter
In welcoming the first couple of cold days, I constantly craved soup... or at least something spicy. It is no wonder there is such a high chilli consumption rate in Asia!
Strathfield is where I go when I want something local, quick and fast. There are Korean restaurants across every main street. Today, we decided to revisit Hyang Won, which is popular for the hot pots or barbeques. I love the spicy octopus, marinated beef, tofu and vegetable hot pot. Priced at $35, it is more than enough to feed 2 people. It is served piping hot with typical Korean condiments (kimchi, fish cakes, seaweed salad and caramelised potatoes).
Hyang Won Korean Restaurant
31 The Boulevarde, Strathfield NSW 2135
Ph. (02) 9746 5750
April 10, 2007
A feast before a long game of Poker
Ah... the digital age... where my photos are time-stamped.
Think back a couple of weeks. Or even a month. Remember what you spent that Friday night doing? What did you have for dinner?
Well, I've retained all of that info to share with you (now that i'm back in action)... So... many weeks ago, Zen and I feasted on a giant seafood and meat platter at La Vigna Cafe in the Italian Forum. This is my second visit, and I found that the service was just as impressive. Hmm... which reminds me... I haven't read the Waiter's Rant in a while!
Within 10 minutes of ordering, an enormous plate of baby lamb cutlets, barbequed quails, souvlaki, spicy meatballs, Italian sausages, prawns, octopus, calamari, mussels, salad and chips were brought out...
For just $65, we stuffed ourselves silly. Thankfully, all the calories were burnt off by the end of our 7 hour Poker game.
See my previous visit.
Or check out their website.
Cafe La Vigna
Italian Forum
Shop 34, 23 Norton Street Leichhardt
Phone: (02) 9572 8599
October 23, 2006
Italian Forum, Leichhardt - Cafe La Vigna
It's been a while since I've been to Leichhardt... and there was no better way to spend Saturday night than with a few girlfriends and some tasty pastas and grills. Parking was a breeze inside the Italian Forum carpark, which was $12 flat rate for entry after 6pm.
The Italian Forum was packed with groups of families, friends and couples. It was a cheery atmosphere filled with loud conversations and laughter. The service was flirtatious but efficient.
I had the Linguine with Balmain Bugs... which was flawlessly spiced with chilli and lots of cracked black pepper. I think dried pasta was used, but they were really generous with the Balmain bugs... I counted 6 halves, so 3 whole in total. They were succulent and so tender! I tasted no basil (there were shallots instead), but the olive oil & white wine tied all the ingredients in really well.
Cafe La Vigna also offer desserts such as cannoli, tiramisu, portuguese tarts, and more! But we left for a place more quiet...
Thanks for organising this Sumali! Hope to see you girls soon :-)
Cafe La Vigna
Italian Forum, Shop 34
23 Norton Street Leichhardt
Phone: 9572 8599
September 19, 2006
Waterview - Dooleys at Silverwater
Since I just posted on Dooleys at Lidcombe, I thought it was only fair to write about the much classier sister restaurant. Waterview was opened some time in 2005, and targets the business lunchers and families. It offers a cafe oriented menu which features lots of gourmet goodies.
Dooleys at Silverwater clearly caters for the families and although being named 'Waterview'... it actually doesn't have a water view, but features a funky kids toy room.
DOOLEYS SILVERWATER
Cnr Clyde Street and Silverwater Road, Silverwater
Tel: 02 9748 0427
Dooleys Bistro, Lidcombe
I've always been a regular at Dooleys Bistro. And since they've introduced the $8 rump steak on Mondays and Tuesdays, I can now enjoy a quick bistro dinner at a great price. The kids meals are awesome too... at $8, you can choose from the fish and chips, nuggets and chips, spaghetti bolognaise, or the roast with vegies, and also get a free soft drink or juice, and ice-cream!
This used to be their famous and strongly advertised $5 fish and chips. Gorgeous crunchy beer battered fish with a crisp garden salad and chips. It is now priced at a reasonable $8.
On Monday and Tuesdays, you can get the rump steak for only $8. It is served with vegies and mash, and your choice of sauce - diane, pepper, mushroom or gravy. Out of all the times I've had this, it has never been disappointing.
The size of the pastry purely enticed me to order this... and I was later saddened that it tasted far from what I had imagined. But that's OK, I forgive them... as long as my $8 rump steak isn't taken off the menu!
Dooleys Bistro
24 John Street Lidcombe
Tel: (02) 8745 6100
Website: www.dooleys.com
August 27, 2006
Yum Cha at Crystal Seafood Restaurant, Strathfield
Early Sunday morning, crowds gather amongst the steps of this restaurant to wait for a seat. Towards the busier afternoon, numbered tickets are handed out to ensure that it's a smooth process (yes, hungry yum-cha goers can sometimes make a scene if the queue is unjustified). Once our number is called, we feel a sense of pride... as though we've just won exclusive entrance to a celebrity fested event. I felt everyone's envy as we were hushed into the busy restaurant.
Immediately, we begun pointing at dishes we'd like order. Today, my yum-cha companion is Zen. With both of us speaking poor Chinese, we naturally order in English. I found that the majority of waitresses were able to describe the dishes with 2 words or less. I was often told that the food was "different" or "very nice".
My second most favourite yum-cha item is the taro puff. I was extremely disappointed with this version, which looked bald in comparison to the normal thick lacy & crispy exterior.
Overall, we were charged a little over $40... which I thought was pretty pricey for the quality and quantity! I'll be sure to post up the over-due entry on Emperor's Garden - Yum Cha soon...
Crystal Seafood R