Dong Ba, Bankstown
Despite my consumption of Vietnamese food at least twice a week, I've never blogged on it! So here's the first... with many more to come ;-)
Viet food is probably one of my favourite cuisines. It tastes of home... I love the herbs, the spices, all the greens and just the simplicity of its flavours. My parents always rant about how a bowl of Pho Dac Biet (beef noodle soup) or Bun Bo Hue (spicy beef noodle soup) can be bought for just 50 cents in Vietnam. They used to wake up to its aromas...
Dong Ba at Bankstown is just like that. On a Saturday morning, families are packed inside this small but cheerful restaurant. Everything on the menu is practically $7!!
Mum and I ordered their specialty... bun bo hue... *drools*
A few minutes after placing our order, a colourful array of vegies and herbs arrived on our table. Bean sprouts, mints, lettuce and purple cabbage.
So hearty and... just fabulous. The herbs & vegies added a refreshing texture and the broth was worth all the hours it took to make.
The males of the house opted for rice dishes... my bro had the tomato rice and my dad went for the broken rice. We all ate with satisfaction :-)
The verdict? I loved this place to bits. It's casual, cheap and cheerful.
Dong Ba
2/296 Chapel Road South, Bankstown
Phone: 9708 0327
November 27, 2006
Iron Chef Chinese Seafood Restaurant
Iron Chef Chinese Seafood Restaurant is meant to be a part of the new breed. Along side it's sister restaurant, Zilver, they clearly stand out from the traditional Chinese restaurants, in terms of menu range, ambience and furnishing.
One of the great things about dining at Chinese restaurants would be all the complementary starters and desserts. We started off with the house soup, which was served in a cute porcelain pot. The soup showed signs of being boiled for hours...
Next up was the Morwong, also known as the Deep Sea Bream, or Rubber Lips; and its lips truely lived up to it's name. Its soft flesh was steamed with shallots, coriander and soy. This dish was actually prepared wrong, but my lovely parents decided to not make a fuss and accepted it anyway. What sane-minded person would order such a large fish steamed? I don't know what the chefs were thinking? There was an apology -but no discount.. hehe...
Furthermore, this is how unthoughful the restaurant was... THEY DIDN'T SERVE THE CRAB FIRST! Being served in between dishes meant that we weren't able to fully savor this $180 dish. Snow Crabs are a little less meaty than other crabs, but it is meant to be sweeter in flavour. Ours was somewhat dull and tasteless. Doh!
Another of my absolute favourite dishes would have to be this crispy taro duck... deboned duck, deep-fried with creamy taro paste on the inside... and served with a thick shitake mushroom sauce.
Then we had the Wasabi Beef which hardly tasted of the unbearably hot kick I can desired for.
Beauty is obviously skin-deep. Beneath the classy makeover, were waiters whom spoke while chewing gum and food which took over an hour to be prepared and served...
Iron Chef Chinese Seafood Restaurant
84 Broomfield St Cabramatta
Phone (02) 9723 6228
August 10, 2006
Se Jong (Korean Restaurant), Campsie
This is ultimately my favourite Korean restaurant! The service is excellent (I love how they cook the food for you), the staff are super friendly and they really care about their customers. I walked in on a Sunday afternoon after the lunch operating hours and they were more than happy to re-open for just a table of two!
Try the traditional floor seating, or the western tables & chairs at this homestyle restaurant.
Se Jong
68 - 72 Evaline St, Campsie
Phone: (02) 9718-4039