Food: Le Monde Cafe, Surry Hills

Wow, I have been slacking off with this blog so much. But with good reason! Uni just started again and I am now employed at a back-breaking fast food joint. I hope that the job is just a temporary fix for my money woes. Not only that, but I have also taken up an internship. A lot on my plate! But alas, the perks of working in the City, is the ability to visit cute restaurants.

Unfortunately, I'm back to using my broken iPhone 4s to take really poor quality photos subtly and discretely. Maybe I'll just knick a coupla' photos off the internet to compensate. Hehe, the lazy way.

This place is just a couple metres walk from Central Station. I don't know why I assumed it was a small cafe but it is quite moderately sized. It's not quite the "hipster" food place but the food is not mainstream.

Masala chai tea/latte
4

When I received this chai latte, I was so confused. I've only recently started drinking chai lattes (start of this year) and I will always order this or hot chocolate because I'm a really caffeine sensitive person and I haven't really acquired the taste for coffee. How juvenile. LOOK AT HOW MANY PARTS THERE ARE TO THE DRINK!! I prefered the simplicity of the foamy chai latte in a yellow mug at Felix (also in Surry Hills) I had last week. It came in a cute little teapot and the small metal jug was honey.
***side story: I was unsure as to what was in the metal jug and the overall drink itself that I smelt it and the waitress was like, "its honey" and gave me a funny look.***
Although it was more authentic in the brewery and taste, it was too overly spicy and watered down for my liking. Even if its technically supposed to be mainly spice tea with a side of milk. I would recommend this if you are into the authentic stuff, but if you're like me and used to the coffee-machine brewed version then steer clear.
Clearly, it was worth the $4 for the authenticity but I struggled to finish it off, offput by the spiciness.

open steak sandwich w/ sauteed onion and fennel, roasted cherry tomato, roquette, garlic aioli, brie cheese and toast
16

This was a really good sandwich even though it shouldn't be called a sandwich because its like a bruschetta on 'roids. I mean it in a good way! The beef is thinly sliced and perfectly cooked so it wasn't like I was sawing through a 500 year old tree. Tomatoes were so juicy. Fennel fresh. Brie ripe to delectableness. The flavours worked well and I would eat this again if it weren't for the fact it cost me over an hour of work to pay for. It's also worth noting that this is one of the dearer dishes available, their prices range from $8.50 to $16. 

Ah, I hate eating alone because I think nothing is more depressing. Le Monde Cafe is just fabulous for eating by yourself, with someone or with a group of people. It's an unintimidating cafe in the love streets of Surry Hills. Recommend a visit if you're in the area.

- Helen

Food: Rustic Pearl, Surry Hills

(finally busted out the SLR, yay!)

Let me begin by telling you how much I love the decor. I just have a thing for interior design, so I'm going to comment on the design of restaurants. Rustic Pearl, as its name suggests, features a rustic design. It's actually quite a small restaurant and so there tends to be a line. Luckily, my friends and I went around brunch time so we just beat the rush. And even though there were people waiting, the waiters didn't rush us or anything. They probably knew that these people would wait to dine there because I would.

LIKE OH EM GEE! I cannot fault this restaurant for anything but being so far away from where I live!

Avocado smoothie; topped w/pistachio
7

When it comes to avocado smoothies, I'm used to the ones with just avocado, a sugar (most of the time condensed milk), milk and occasionally, a scoop of ice cream. No, this is no ordinary basic bitch style smoothie. I didn't think it would be because it's SEVEN dollars, a lot for a drink. But I really love avocado and avocados aren't cheap. It was worth the money. Coming in a oval cup with a steel spoon straw (yes, there is a spoon at the end of the straw), it caught me off guard. You can distinctly taste the honey within the drink. Not what I'm used to, but I'll accept it. The pomegranate were sour bursts against the sweetness of the honey and pistachio gave it texture. I love the pistachio flavour in the smoothie but I prefer my smoothie smooth (just like me, ha!). 

Fresh drinking coconut; w/ fruit garnish
6.5

My friend got the coconut drink and I expected it to come in a glass, but nope.

Sucuk bruschetta w/ char grilled sucuk, melted buffalo mozzarella, fresh tomato, avocado, rocket, pomegranate molasses & soft boiled organic egg
17

Being the indecisive person that I am, I asked the waiter what I should get and he suggested this. Um, freaking delish'! Normally, I'm not a fan of large amounts of fresh tomato, but this has to be the exception. Egg was perf. Sucuk was perf. Cheese was perfectly melted. Balance of the dish was perf. I had to saw through the crust of the toast but I don't mind because it was so scrum-dilly-umptious! Initially, we thought the dressing was balsamic vinegar but it actually pomegranate molasses. Its a tangy syrup made from boiled down pomegranate juices. The best feature is the generous layer of avocado. I'm going to keep coming back for more!

pan fried free-range chicken breast salad w/ crispy bacon, chickpeas, char grilled zucchini, agresto, almond & spiced apricot dressing
18

Homemade mixed wild mushrom gnocchi w/ tomato, garlic, parsley & goat's cheese
18

We shared this dish and although it was perfectly fine, I prefer the gnocchi at Criniti's. I believe its just a matter of preference here. Its very flavoursome with tomato being the strongest flavour. The pasta was soft and wasn't quite pillowy but nevertheless, its a dish to enjoy with its assortment of mushrooms.

Smoked waygu omelette w/ buffalo mozzarella, spinach skordalia, bacon dust, tomato relish & toast
17

Overall, I love this place to bits and I am going to go back. They will probably end up taking all of my money. Well, the very little money I have left since the dishes range from 17/18 dollars and go up to 24. It's not cheap but its not expensive either, but definitely worth the money you pay. 

They also do note that there is a waiting time with ordering dishes because they are trying to assure quality and freshness. This isn't so much bother if you're catching up with friends and they do bring out drinks for you in the meantime. It will only be a problem if you're starving, in which case, you'd still wait. 

They offer gluten free alternatives for a surcharge of $1. If you read the menu, you can see that they offer quality for a reasonable price.

- Helen

Food: Twelve, Newtown

We picked this restaurant because of its outdoor diners and opened up front. It was inviting and we were hopeful.

As a group of 6, we needed a large table but their tables mostly accommodated for 2's and 4's. The booth seat of 4 would have worked just fine for the 6 of us but the owner of the restaurant (assumed that he was because he was interviewing a girl later on) wasn't willing to move. I am not sure if he wants his restaurant to succeed at all. I read reviews after (just to avoid bias) my visit and the general consensus reflected my experience.

I ordered a beef burger because the lady suggested it as a special. Being only $8, I thought, why not? Um, because the beef was dry and the sauce was lacking. I have never been so dissatisfied with a basic beef burger. The burger was more bread than beef and it just threw the whole balance of flavours off and was pretty plain tasting.

There is not much more than I can say about this substandard burger. I hope they are able to up their game because they do have a neatly designed restaurant in a prime location.

Beef burger; lettuce, tomato, Gruyere cheese, gherkins caramelised onions mayo & ketchup
8
w/ chips 13

- Helen

Food: Devon Cafe, Surry Hills

Upon recommendations to try out this place out, my friend and I ventured to Surry Hills. This cafe is only a 5 minute walk from Central Station which is such a blessing for anybody, like me, who thinks that getting to the CBD is a trek. The first world problems of living in the middle of nowhere. And let me tell you now, Sydney public transportation system is not your friend. It costs you a limb and a half to access this service and it's never on time. The woes!

Before I continue this post any further, I would like to apologise for the quality of photos on this blog thus far and in the future. I feel extremely uncomfortable spending a long time getting a photo of food with my phone, let alone whipping out my SLR. As a person who a photography enthusiast and refuses to "like" photos on facebook because of terrible lighting, I should take more of an effort to get better photos. I don't know how to discreetly take photos using an SLR. Hopefully, I will grow some balls and forget about people judging me. But for now, please forgive the quality. 

I am a very picky eater but I am trying to fix this by ordering meals that I don't normally go for. The problem with that is I don't have the money to get a meal that I do like if I really hate it, being a uni student and all. I try to play it safe as much as I can but for some reason, on this day, instead of opting the french toast with NUTELLA on it (anybody who know me, know I live for nutella), I go for this pot of tomato sauce. Let me just say this, I don't like tomatoes. Tomato sauce is alright. I don't know how you are supposed to eat the dish I ordered. Heck, I don't even remember what it is called. It was a pot of tomato sauce with two half-cooked eggs and bread on the side, put simply. This is on the breakfast menu by the way and I thought you really couldn't go wrong with breakfast food. Oh, I was wrong. So wrong. I struggled to finish this dish. I poked the egg yolk out but it just mixed with the tomato sauce. It was just tomato sauce. I don't understand the dish. I will never order it again. 

That all being said, there is nothing wrong with the dish, I just wasn't feeling eating a slice of bread drowned in tomato sauce mixed with egg yolk. Perhaps this is because I am accustomed to an Asian palate but this was definitely not for me. My biggest regret is not getting that french toast. I may return to Devon cafe to try that French toast out because quality-wise, the cafe is on point. 

The hot chocolate was foamy, creamy and perfect drinking temperature when I received it. Not too sweet and not too watery.

So, in all, I would definitely go to Devon Cafe, I just wouldn't go for this dish. I can't really give bad ratings to a cafe that has quality food that I just don't have the taste for.

Hot chocolate
4

Two chicks in Basque; baked eggs, piperade, pistou, sourdough toast
14.5
(with blood sausage 5)

Kaya toast; coconut jam, butter, light soy 63' eggs, brioche toast
12.5

I tried a bit of the coconut jam that my friend got with the Kaya toast and it was delish'. The rest of the dish I can't really comment on but we agreed that we just didn't have the taste palate for it.

The front of the cafe is small and so the back room, meant for storage, was opened up for seating. We weren't seated in the best place. Sharing a large table with backless stools with six other people between a garage door was opened and the fridge and produce. To me, the decor was a bit confusing. They had a flowers on the table and the golden accented signage which didn't really complement the blue, artificial graffiti walls and wired fences. I wouldn't say this is the most comfortable place to settle down and catch up with friends as my back started to ache from having no support.


If I do go back for the French toast one day, I will be sure to update you. Perhaps it will change my perspective of Devon Cafe.

- Helen

Food: Cafe Harvest (Bonnyrigg Garden Centre), Bonnyrigg

Before dining here, I've already heard lots about it by word of mouth. Now, as a Commerce student having studied the basics of Marketing, I know this is one of the best avenues of building a solid reputation. My sister even told me that Cafe Harvest was "really good". As you can imagine, I had great expectations and was anticipating to be wow-ed. Much to my disappointment, the cafe lacked any wow factor. I can only ascribed this place as over-hyped. 

The cafe is relatively close to where I live and it is one of the very few breakfast places and cafes that exist in the area. It's actually inside a garden centre which differentiates it from every other cafe. It means a lot of decor and greenery around which you can purchase. It also seconds a great post-eating activity. Notably, they have so many different variations of sand and dirt that I didn't know existed. My friends was equally as fascinated as I was. Haha, the employees kept looking at us, probably thinking "what are these five girls doing looking at the sand?" But in all honesty, I think I left ever so more educated and knowledgeable on plants and dirt. 

Menu-wise, there is solid selection of breakfast foods and lunch foods and have all the standard drinks. A neat thing is that you are able to design your own juice/smoothie if you wish to. The food range from a moderate $5 to $21. The perk about this place is that breakfast is served all day, so if you miss the Maccas 10am breakfast, here is your plan B. In my book, breakfast foods can be eaten at any time of the day. I mean, c'mon, cereal for dinner, who can say no?

I opted for fresh orange juice over bottled orange juice. Ok, assumed that the orange juice was going to be squeezed, not put through a blender. And for $6.50, I wasn't too pleased. Yeah, it looks cool in the mason jar type mug and its orange slice decor. I hate the taste of juice from juicers. It gives it a slightly metallic, oxidised taste. This is just a nitpicky preference of mine. But hey, at least it didn't have pulp (if you're the type that likes pulp, I will never understand you)

I went for the eggs benedict because I read some reviews about the cafe before my visit. I do my homework. I read that they had the best hollandaise sauce and I wanted to try it myself. Right, I'm no judge in the hollandaise sauce department, having only had it once, but I must agree that it was of good consistency and balanced flavour. The overall dish, though, wasn't up to par. They overdid it with the spinach. I would have preferred less spinach. But even so, the muffin was stale and hard to slice through. I will give them props though for not over cooking the egg which was perfectly oozing a bright orange yolk.

I also tried the rump steak sandwich. The rump was tough to cut and chew suggesting it wasn't the best quality meat. The caramelised onion overpowered the rump and made the sandwich on the sweeter side. If you are expecting a hearty meat sandwich, I would not recommend going for this option. And like the eggs benedict, the bread was on the stale side. Despite all this, I will credit them for having nicely seasoned and cooked perfectly crisp chips.

Fresh Orange Juice
6.5

Eggs benedict; w/sauteed spinach, poached eggs and house made hollandaise sauce on an english muffin w/ham (can get salmon for extra $2.50)
16

Yearling rump steak sandwich; rocket, tomato, caramelised onion and aioli w/fries
19

After my disappointing meal, I walked around the centre with my friends. They have a gorgeous glasshouse that is up for hire. It would be fabulous for an intimate, small affair. I'm guessing that it would only cater for a maximum of 20. The glasshouse does feature a chandelier and is surrounded by lush greenery.

In my opinion, after all that hype surround the cafe, it really didn't meet my expectations. For the quality of food I received there, I wouldn't say it was worth the price. Even so, I wouldn't dismiss the cafe entirely and do recommend a visit, perhaps it was a stroke of bad luck for me. It does hold a high rating on urbanspoon currently. Let me know about your experience at this cafe if you do happen to dine there!

- Helen

Food: Circa, Parramatta

Hello. Hello. Hello.

This is my first official posting on F. Hehe.

Yesterday, I went to Parramatta with some of my besties, Anita and Renee.

It was no surprise that I was running late, but it turns out my friends were also running late. Except I was running an hour behind and they were only 15 mins behind. Mind you, I woke up before my alarm and decided to do productive things. Do you know the thing where when you have more time, you think you have heaps more time and then you go slower because you've already missed the original bus/train you were going to catch? Or is that just me?
I arrived at around 12pm, which I'd like to think perfectly timed to eat as soon as I got off the bus.
At first, we went to Three Ropes but there wasn't much space to settle for all three of us, so we opted for Circa. Thank goodness it was only a short walk because we're more about the eating and less about the walking. 

[On a little side note, I don't claim to be a culinary expert or any sort of expert. I just want to share my opinion on food that I have tried and if restaurants are worth the visit. Some of you may not agree with my opinion but it really is each to their own.]

We arrived at Circa and it was already full inside but we got a good sunny spot to sit and was greeted by a lovely French waitress. It's a nifty little cafe tucked away in the streets of Parramatta, creatively using a garage attached to terraces. 

(cafe comes equipped with a certified hipster)

I am not going to lie, I didn't know most of the stuff that was on the menu but yay for trying new things! There is a fair range of things on the menu with moderate prices ranging from $7 to $19. Unfortunately, on the bottom of the page of the menu, it states "no variations to the menu, please inform staff of any dietary requirements or allergies". I don't know if this means they will inform you of choices you shouldn't make or cater to your dietary requirements. Bless the gods that I do not have any food allergies. 

I ended up getting a hot chocolate (how juvenile) and French toast (never had French toast before). The hot chocolate was slightly watered down and I prefer mine to be milky and on the slightly sweet side. The French toast was pretty amazeballs. The fruit was fresh. Sometimes you get strawberry that are just about going soft or the ones that are sour and not yet ripe, but not on my dish. There was an orangey-yellow fruit in my dish that neither Renee, Anita or I knew what it was (maybe you do? Let me know). The labne was creamy and was just the right amount, working well with the toast and fruits. The added pistachio give the dish added texture. The bread was soft, coated well and cooked perfectly golden. Overall, the combination of flavours mixed well for someone like me who has a bit of a sweet tooth. 

I would recommend this dish for those who are looking for something that's not savoury and want something fruity as snack (maybe for big eaters) or brunch meal. It is well worth the price paid simply because of the quality of the fruit. And you would not be able to recreate this clever dish.

African Red Hot Chocolate; exhibits the hallmarks of African grown cocoa beans with delightful high fruity notes
4.5/5

French toast with poached rhubarb, mascarpone labne, cinnamon, berries and crushed pistachio
14

Anita had bacon and eggs and a mocha. She says it's the best bacon and eggs she has had. Just by looking at the sandwich, it is definitely is worth the value. The rating for this cafe is looking good so far!

Mocha (wasn't on the menu)
4.5

Barrosa Valley cured Schultz bacon, fried free-range eggs, house made tomato & capsicum relish and aioli on schiacciata bread
12

Renee went for a poached egg dish with tomatoes on toast. The egg was oozing yolky goodness! She says that the dish has a lot of pesto, so maybe reconsider if you are not into pesto. It is a dish screaming healthy with generous amounts of avocado accompanied with three large slice of tomato.

Iced coffee; deliciously sweet and balanced.
5

Heirloom tomatoes, poached eggs, avocado smash, house made basil pesto on olive sourdough toast.
12

Overall, I think the cafe is a lovely place to meet friends for a good catch up, as I did with my friends. We fought over the details of our hilarious twelvie (tb) days and dumb attitudes in the past. The cafe is emitting good vibes and relaxed atmosphere. It is cosy and quaint, the food is lovely and the service is great. Also, its not a long walk from Parramatta which is always a bonus for those who are extra hungry. Thumbs up for Circa! 

Afterwards, Anita and Renee were able to score themselves free strawberries and cream tea from T2 as they were born in 1996 and 18. T2 was having a promotion for turning 18 and was giving free tea to their birthday buds. Unfortunately, I was not born in 1996. :( Today, and the weekend coming up, they are gifting tea cubes to people so maybe I'll drop by T2 if it's within my vicinity. They are also having 18% off on everything, which by the way, never happens at T2. 

You know it was a good day when at the end of it you're so exhausted but you want to stay up doing more things because you're in a great mood. I hope to go on more food adventures with these amigos.

- Helen