I’ve actually been meaning to post about Petaling St Hawker for a long time. Well, “long” is relative considering they’ve only been open about five weeks. But I’m so excited about this place that I wanted to share it will y’all – just as soon as I had a bigger collection of dishes to talk [...]]]>

I’ve actually been meaning to post about Petaling St Hawker for a long time. Well, “long” is relative considering they’ve only been open about five weeks. But I’m so excited about this place that I wanted to share it will y’all – just as soon as I had a bigger collection of dishes to talk about.

But that was never going to happen. Because I only ever eat three dishes at hawker places.

Although there’s been a recent boost of interest in Malaysian food, I still think it’s hard to find a really good Malaysian place. Sure, Mamak does a great roti, but they don’t serve the whole spectrum of classic Malaysian dishes like chicken rice, char kuay teow, har mee and the holy grail of Malaysian noodle soups, assam laksa. And believe me, I look hard for these.

So imagine my utter glee when Petaling St Hawker finally opens a branch in Sydney (they have multiple branches in Melbourne) and I can now not only get my favourite Malaysian dishes on tap, they’re good. And cheap! (We do like a bit of cheap).

I’ve been a few times now and honestly, I had all the intention of trying more dishes so I can show you but alas, I’ve only had my three staples:

The assam laksa -

 Har mee (although my friend went on one occasion and said the soup wasn’t strong enough) - 

Char kuay teow -

and Panu tried one of their specials, short rice noodles in clay pot - 

God, it is just like being at home! Big love!

Petaling St Hawker
760 George St
Haymarket, NSW 2000
(02) 9281 6508
website

There exists a burger which I don’t like. For real. This burger from the bar menu at Four in Hand might look amazingly succulent and juicy, but their pattie was packed full of herbs which I didn’t like at all. Herbs and bits like… capers?! In my world, capers only go with smoked salmon.

So alas, [...]]]>

There exists a burger which I don’t like. For real. This burger from the bar menu at Four in Hand might look amazingly succulent and juicy, but their pattie was packed full of herbs which I didn’t like at all. Herbs and bits like… capers?! In my world, capers only go with smoked salmon.

So alas, the search for the best burger in Sydney continues. Current winner: Glass Brasserie.

Four in Hand
105 Sutherland St,
Paddington, NSW, 2021
(02) 9326 2254
website

It’s kind of funny when people think all I eat is burgers and ice cream. That’s only like… 80% true. Because believe it or not, I can also eat healthy. Sometimes. I thought it was particularly funny when Maria and I were organising to catch up and she suggested checking out a cafe [...]]]>

It’s kind of funny when people think all I eat is burgers and ice cream. That’s only like… 80% true. Because believe it or not, I can also eat healthy. Sometimes. I thought it was particularly funny when Maria and I were organising to catch up and she suggested checking out a cafe in Avalon, a “healthy” cafe, and suffixed her email with – don’t worry, they also make burgers.

Is that what I’ve become?

So because “they make burgers” (an obviously crucial requirement) we ended up at Healthy Chef Café last Saturday, all the way in Avalon, in the blistering storm and utterly un-beach-like weather.

Now, before you really get the wrong idea of me, I have to clarify that I don’t dislike unhealthy food. In fact, I don’t discriminate whatsoever. I discriminate on what tastes good and what tastes like crap, so if something healthy tastes good, I like it! If something unhealthy tastes bad (like, I totally had a bad tasting burger the other day – urgh) I don’t like it.

Easy.

(Yes, I said bad tasting burger. They exist.)

Turns out, Healthy Chef Café makes good tasting healthy food. They use 100 % clean ingredients that have no artificial colours, flavours, preservatives or additives, and everyone’s dietary requirements are met, with a menu full of meals which are gluten free, wheat free, low carb, high protein, sugar free, vegan and raw.

If you already read Maria’s blog, you’ll know that she’s quit sugar and dairy and currently enjoying a vegan diet. Granted, I’d never be able to do that in a million years, but Maria is about as healthy (and tall and blonde and tanned and gorgeous) as they come so she’s doing something right.

She ordered the quinoa and tabouleh salad (sans pomegranate dressing) -

And believe it or not, it wasn’t I who ordered the burger. Maria’s fiancée, Michael, had the cajun chicken burger with caramelised onion, organic egg, tomato, lettuce, cheese and tomato relish -

And Panu had the organic egg white omelette with mushrooms, tomato, a little cheddar and bacon. It was epically huge and fluffy, but apparently not completely filling.

I managed to find a healthy brunch that sounds rather unhealthy – nachos! – specifically bean and sweet-corn nachos with organic veggie corn chips [top].

They also serve awesome drinks, with a huge smoothie selection, and have available healthy alternatives like rice milk. And big fresh coconuts

Granted it’s a long long drive from Sydney (just under an hour with good traffic conditions), Avalon seems like a stunning location and I’d definitely go to Healthy Chef Café again. But rumour has it they’re opening a branch in Surry Hills! Woohoo!

Healthy Chef Café
17 Avalon Parade
Avalon Beach, NSW, 2017
(02) 9973 3233
website

When you come back from an eating haven like Hong Kong, the only thing anyone cares about is “what’s the best thing you ate?” Well, actually, for a normal person it might be “what did you buy?” but clearly, I am not normal. I don’t shop (seriously, hate shopping, not sure if I’m [...]]]>

When you come back from an eating haven like Hong Kong, the only thing anyone cares about is “what’s the best thing you ate?” Well, actually, for a normal person it might be “what did you buy?” but clearly, I am not normal. I don’t shop (seriously, hate shopping, not sure if I’m meant to be female).

But ask me what the best thing I ate (or drank) and I guarantee you I’ll give you the same answer every time.

Hui Lau Shan.

Say what?

Yeah, that’s right, Hui Lau Shan.

Hui Lau Shan (Chinese website / English website) is a chain of “healthy” dessert stores. There are branches dotted all around Hong Kong and honestly? Why isn’t there one in Sydney? Their simple ingredients of (mainly) mango, coconut, aloe jelly and grass jelly is just so damn good – and healthy – that it’s easy to guzzle one or four, in a three day weekend trip.

When we touched down in Hong Kong, before we’d even exited the airport, I got my first hit.

You’d better believe it! There’s a Hui Lau Shan right there in the arrivals hall so you can get one on touch down, and one just before you depart. Such awesomeness!

My all time favourite menu item is the aloe/mango/coconut drink. I’ve tried lots of other items, and they are all very delicious, but I don’t know why this one just does it for me. And if you get stuck for how to actually order this, well, there is usually a menu with photos, but alternatively you can ask for the B3. That’s what it is, the B3.

Ok, so on this trip I cheated a little and tried something else. This here is a black glutinous rice, mango and coconut concoction. Also scrumptious.

Foreigners might find it a little hard to locate a Hui Lau Shan store because their shop fronts don’t spell out “Hui Lau Shan” in alphabets. So this is what it looks like. Commit this to your memory.

Honestly, everyone go try this place out and tell me if I’m wrong about it being one of the best places in Hong Kong, period.

Hui Lau Shan
Everywhere – check out their OpenRice site for locations
Chinese website / English website

*****

Another dessert place we managed to get to in the two half days which we had to ourselves was Honeymoon Desserts (Engish website). Again, lots of locations all around Hong Kong and they have an awesomely huge selection of desserts and they serve durian!

Of course, for the ultimate durian dessert, you’ve got to go to Tim Yee Yee in Tin Hau, but if you want to maintain any semblance of physical connection with any human being after consuming durian, keep it simple and have a small dose at Honeymoon Desserts instead.

fresh durian and matcha ice cream in coconut sago soup

Matcha and durian in the same bowl. I was in heaven. And that’s a scoop of fresh durian, not durian ice cream, aiight? 

mango pancakes

grass jelly, mango, pomelo and sago, served with vanilla ice cream

So, I posted a photo from Honeymoon Desserts on my facebook and one of my friends commented that she got engaged there. I was like holy crap that’s so cool right?? Forget the stereotypical top of the Eiffel Tower romance. True love is a wedding proposal and big kiss, right after indulging in a huge bowl of durian

Taking notes, Panu? Heh.

Honeymoon Desserts
Everywhere – check out their OpenRice site for locations
website

siu yuk – roast pork

The day after my cousin’s wedding – and our final day in Hong Kong – we got together with all the rellies and had a big yum cha lunch at Dragon King in the World Trade Centre, the final in a string of many indulgent meals we’d [...]]]>

siu yuk – roast pork

The day after my cousin’s wedding – and our final day in Hong Kong – we got together with all the rellies and had a big yum cha lunch at Dragon King in the World Trade Centre, the final in a string of many indulgent meals we’d had. If they read this, I wanted to thank my Aunty Liz and Uncle Jon who fed us so ferociously well over the weekend.

Since it’s a Friday, I’m not going to say much except this, people, this is how you do yum cha porn:

har cheong – prawns in steamed rice wrap

deep fried tofu

char siu bao – BBQ pork buns

char siu – BBQ pork

honeyed lotus root

battered calamari rings

siu mai – pork & prawn dumplings

xiao long bao – soup dumplings

ingredients from a crab, chicken & coconut soup

melon & prawn stir fry

loh bak goh – turnip cake – one of the best I’ve ever had!

soft shelled crab with crispy noodles

whole roast chicken

greens!

lo mai gai – glutinous rice with Chinese sausage and mushrooms

fried sesame pastry with honey

That’ll be all! Have a fabulous weekend!

Dragon King
12F, World Trade Centre
180 Gloucester Road
Causeway Bay, Hong Kong
+852 2895 2288
OpenRice

I’m back! So. As some of you who follow me on twitter might know, I snuck off to Hong Kong for a quick weekend trip to MC at my cousin’s wedding. I didn’t talk about it here because my mum reads my blog (hi mum! miss you!) and I wanted to surprise my [...]]]>

I’m back! So. As some of you who follow me on twitter might know, I snuck off to Hong Kong for a quick weekend trip to MC at my cousin’s wedding. I didn’t talk about it here because my mum reads my blog (hi mum! miss you!) and I wanted to surprise my parents in Hong Kong. They had no idea I was going and it was brilliant, though my dad did almost have a heart attack when we showed up so maybe I should re-think surprises for senior older over-60 citizens from now on.

The weekend was HEC. TIC. Lots of family lunches and breakfasts and general catch ups, but Panu and I did manage to sneak off for a couple of meals. On Saturday, we met up with my friend Mas for lunch at Ippudo, Causeway Bay.

Ippudo is a fairly reputable ramen chain, known for causing great amounts of queueing and hunger through Asia and NYC. I first visited Ippudo in NYC in December 2010, fell in love with their delicious broth, perfectly al dente (can I say that for a non-Italian dish?) noodle and scrumptious pork bun, so I was keen to check out their Hong Kong branches.

The Tsim Sha Tsui branch opened a while ago, but the one in Causeway Bay (across the street from Time Square) is new, so we expected a queue… and queue we did.

Once we were seated, I could barely contain my excitement about the pork buns. In truth, I prefer Momofuku’s pork buns (here in my top 5 NYC eats) but I remembered Ippudo’s to also be pretty darn delicious. We ordered two portions, with two buns per portion. When the buns came out, I was a little surprised. Not in a good way. Check it out:

They give you one bun cut in half and call that two? Proper what the fruck, right? I didn’t actually complain because hey that’s what the blog is for! No really, I didn’t think about it at the time, but I came back and checked my Ippudo NYC photos and we definitely got two buns per portion (and we really should have based on the pricing here). And it really isn’t as good as Momofuku’s, anyway.

Luckily for Ippudo, they were redeemed in my eyes by the once again awesome ramens. Panu had the shoyu tonkotsu (top photo), a sweet soy base with pork, sprouts, bamboo shoots and spring onions.

Mas had the akamaru shinaji, which I had in NYC. This broth is honestly orgasmic, full of pork, garlic oil, miso, black fungus, spring onions and chilli. Seriously, to die for.

I went a little simpler and ordered the basic miso tonkotsu, with pork, sprouts, bamboo shoots and spring onions. I loved this, but ordered an extra portion of pork neck because you can’t ever get enough nice tender pork, right?

Did I love Ippudo? Why yes, yes I still did, despite the rude shock from the half-sized pork bun portions. Mas tells me though that ramen is starting to take Hong Kong by storm, so I’d hazard a guess that soon, the city will be littered with lots of ramen joints, all boasting the best broth in town. Guess someone has to go try them all and let us know.

If only I lived in Hong Kong.

Hakata Ippudo
2F, 8 Russell Street
Causeway Bay
Hong Kong
+852 2892 2387
website  / OpenRice