tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-86434673012435692442026-02-14T19:28:20.163+11:00A Sydney food blog celebrating the world's great culinary underbelly. We are ham-fisted enthusiasts who dig traditional foods, hole-in-the-wall restaurants, and international supermarkets of mystery. Shawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07175426309170881777noreply@blogger.comBlogger1110125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8643467301243569244.post-16142727486360785272021-12-06T17:03:00.001+11:002021-12-06T17:03:58.270+11:00

Across the road from the train station at Lakemba is a small cafe that specialises in Indian breakfast dishes, serving them all day. It's a brief menu, crisp edged dosa, fried wada (or vada), puffy poori with chickpea curry and a weekend khichiri special. This is Indian in and out breakfast, scoop with the bread or fingers and get on with your day.Served on no frills sheets of white butchers

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A simple looking dish of slow cooked rice, mustard seeds and spices, but the flavours are a complex whirl of happiness. Deep fried veggie patties and a couple of battered and fried green chillies. Crisp roll of plantain and a spoonful each of coconut crispy and tamarind chutney. Khichiri, khichuri, khichdi, whatever your preferred version, it is mostly the same basic base of rice and split yellow

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8643467301243569244.post-84093220298677012532021-11-25T14:31:00.006+11:002021-11-25T19:14:15.661+11:00

We have a thingy thing for Vietnamese crab soups, and this is one of our all time faves: banh da cua - soft crab mince with brown rice noodle ($15).  Clear broth and brown noodles, which are kinda like wholemeal fettucine - nice chew and a nice change to your standard rice noodles, fish balls, greens, betel leaf rolls, a pool of crab mince that really flavours the soup, and some lucky dip

Shawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07175426309170881777noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8643467301243569244.post-25354724193367338632021-11-23T15:44:00.005+11:002021-11-23T15:45:08.770+11:00

We love ourselves a bit of oyakodon - chicken and egg on rice, with a little onion to sweeten things up. Momiji does it the way we like it, with the egg still a little runny. It's a plain dish but sometimes that's just what the stomach demands, it's a good protein hit to boot. Next hangover we'll return for the miso katsudon - a schnitty coated in sweet gooey miso sauce.Momiji is in

Shawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07175426309170881777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8643467301243569244.post-46908680043541803972021-11-22T14:23:00.005+11:002021-11-22T14:23:58.559+11:00

We are big fans of the ramen at Ramen Zundo, the broth with a mix of dried bonito is one of our favourites. But what if you took the broth out and just left all the goodies and the flavour base? Abura soba (also known as mazesoba) originated as a soupless ramen where the noodles are coated in oil and the tare flavour base is left at the bottom of the bowl to stir through the soba noodles.There

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8643467301243569244.post-81198754757766831772021-11-19T10:17:00.008+11:002022-02-25T11:18:31.344+11:00

This Heshela Samay Baji Set ($19) has a mix of flavours and textures we have only encountered in the exotic Nepalese region of Rockdale. There are familar flavours of curries, egg and a roti thingy, but also some eye-popping wow moments from the sour pickle flavours, the squished Rice Bubble texture of the baji and the tooth-threatening hard crunch of what we think is called Haku Mushya, Google

Shawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07175426309170881777noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8643467301243569244.post-4067268023294612312021-11-18T12:24:00.003+11:002021-11-18T16:14:45.225+11:00

Sussex Centre appears to have weathered the closures in Chinatown better than other areas (Dixon House, still sad). It is quiet on a Wednesday lunchtime and some stalls are closed until the evening, bonus though is getting a table. At Kwan Noodle Bar it's all go and we are in the mood for a noodle soup.There's a number of combos available for your soup choice but it's soft bone pork we are after,

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Khao Kang Maruay is a Thai E-San (north eastern Thailand) resto that was one of the last places we dined in before the June lockdown and takeaway only rules in Sydney. It had only just opened on Ultimo Road with offers of small bowls of soup, a takeaway bain-marie-of-love and loads of stuff on sticks. So coming back this week, it's just like picking up where we left off many months ago.We are big

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It's a beautiful evening in the 'hood so we head down the Princess Highway for some Valentine's Day adventures at Philly-Up.This Valentine's Day we head out for an evening walk. Past the Town and Country, down along Unwin's Bridge Road, short cut through the Willie The Boatman brewery, zig zag along the backstreets of Sydenham and out to the delightful Princess Highway near Ikea, it's the Champs&

Shawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07175426309170881777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8643467301243569244.post-10116005940670192872020-12-30T00:00:00.382+11:002021-01-15T15:39:20.900+11:00

This year we've been dreading writing this list of places closed over 2020. While it feels like the last thing you want to read, we feel it is important to reflect and remember on what has passed over the food retail rainbow. We've hardly been into the CBD or outside our own bubble this year, like a large majority of folks in Sydney. When we did get out, there were walks around the eerie,

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8643467301243569244.post-63600530128654782452020-12-24T21:51:00.002+11:002020-12-24T21:51:34.134+11:00

Kusuka, our favourite IndoStrayan cafe, has moved again, this time to Darling Square. Any excuse to revisit Kusuka...Sniff, sniff. Chinatown's beloved Dixon House foodcourt has finally closed it's doors. The two remaining stalls hung in there through most of 2020, they survived Covid with a smile, but those Sydney property developers will always get you in the end. Everybody has their

Shawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07175426309170881777noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8643467301243569244.post-40244652793197502642020-12-20T11:48:00.006+11:002020-12-20T12:04:58.860+11:00

Ah, an Indonesian stall in a shopping centre food court, now that something we'd like to see Australia-wide.  We'd much rather get a bakmi ayam than a McBurger after a trip to Big W.Satuco has a small menu, mainly bakmi (yellow noodles) and few street snacks and a special or two. We've visited four times and every time we noticed a constant stream of customers, most of them making a beeline

Shawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07175426309170881777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8643467301243569244.post-87965941825176320662020-12-11T16:02:00.001+11:002020-12-11T16:02:41.885+11:00

We heart Chengdu noodles and snacks at Li's Chengdu Kitchen in Burwood. Fitouts in hole-in-the-wall restos are getting fancier and schmancier. As long as the food is good we don't care where we are. There's a nice balance here of clean wooden lines, panda and bamboo ink style images and exposed brick, a style . Simple wooden tables with condiments and water handy that feels pretty welcoming.

Shawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07175426309170881777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8643467301243569244.post-12796418775095952002020-12-04T16:37:00.003+11:002020-12-05T21:05:29.183+11:00

If you can't beat the crowds to Marrickville's legendary VN Street Foods, give their Wolli Creek branch a whirl. This has been another favourite during the 2020 zombie invasion. It doesn't quite have the same vibe as the Marrickville version but we can always get a zombie safe outside table. The stools by the big open window facing the train station are great for zombie-free

Shawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07175426309170881777noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8643467301243569244.post-41295610696388683682020-11-08T17:59:00.004+11:002020-12-07T10:47:34.697+11:00

What's that Robin? There's a Balinese joint in Bondi Junction? Quick, to the Bite Cave! Up the side street you always overlook, next to Westfield Mall and opposite the RSL is a small Janus-faced café, Bite Cave. Serving up a range of Indo meals and a pizza menu, it's doing double duty.It's both Balinese and a pizza joint, but the Bali menu here is our gig.  They're cranking

Shawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07175426309170881777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8643467301243569244.post-57086969009907000252020-10-23T09:11:00.012+11:002020-10-23T09:43:07.062+11:00

In our eternal search for hole-in-the-wall restos with outdoor seating we discover that Japanese sweetie shop Mogu Mogu on George Street has a donburi (stuff on rice) menu. Happy happy! There's a constant trickle of customers making a beeline for Mogu Mogu, folks who seem to know what they're after: glorious sugary obanyaki, cream-filled pancakes, and snacketty takoyaki.&

Shawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07175426309170881777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8643467301243569244.post-80089798307290525292020-10-15T19:48:00.004+11:002020-11-03T15:33:51.131+11:00

Galbi in Waterloo has been one of our little saviours during the zombie apocalypse - outdoor seating, purdy bonsai garden and healthy delicious food.  Galbi is in the Crown Square Shopping Plaza, which is a wee nugget of b-kyu greatness with about half a dozen little restos, a couple of which have outdoor seating. Unfortunately this culdesac is a bit hidden and doesn't get the

Shawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07175426309170881777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8643467301243569244.post-63457095061848040972020-10-11T21:57:00.000+11:002020-10-11T21:57:17.389+11:00

It's not hard to find a Nepalese restaurant in Rockdale these days, there seems to be a momo joint on every corner. But the smokey siren call of Everest BBQ gets us in, smack bang outside the railway station. We trek over to Rockdale often lately, mostly to walk down to Botany Bay and walk around to the start of the Cooks River. Just at the steps to the railway station where the buses pull

Shawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07175426309170881777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8643467301243569244.post-8331887639592552162020-10-04T14:53:00.001+11:002020-10-05T21:03:13.123+11:00

Seek out the pointed spire along General Holmes Drive for a taste of the Greek isles mixed with fish 'n' chip shop classics. In the early 1970s this distinctive pointy roofed building along General Holmes Drive in Kyeemagh housed Hero's Drive In Diner. Later it was run by the Hasham family and known by their name, and flipping the burgers was the father and brother of the

Shawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07175426309170881777noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8643467301243569244.post-3682238996601432962020-09-30T14:02:00.001+10:002020-11-03T15:35:28.340+11:00

A small bite of Singapore sits inside the lower levels of Central Park. Mee rebus, soft googies, sock coffee and kaya toast await at Killiney Kopitiam The search for outdoor eating options is easier when you head down the escalators to the bottom of Central Park. The carousel of restaurant openings and closings is often turning down there as the spaces are large and the weather can be unkind

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Our favourite spicy noodle soups in Chinatown right now are at Yummy Noodle & BBQ in Chinatown. While the zombie invasion still sucks brains we continue the rounds of hole-in-the-wall restos with outdoor dining.  Hopefully the bloody-government will get it's act together soon and make it easier for restos to bung a few tables outside, particularly in Dixon Street Mall which is

Shawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07175426309170881777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8643467301243569244.post-40171475993849908222020-09-15T09:16:00.003+10:002020-09-15T11:37:05.819+10:00

Ah, the golden mile that is Gadigal Ave in Zetland gives it up once again. Gadigal Avenue runs between Zetland and Waterloo shopping centres and has a bunch of mostly Chinese restaurants, it's been one of our favourite restaurant strips during the zombie invasion. Taste of Nanking jumped out at us, can't remember going to a Nanking joint before [edit: Shawn has forgotten

Shawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07175426309170881777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8643467301243569244.post-10583750770605373002020-09-10T12:47:00.001+10:002020-09-10T12:49:25.308+10:00

The very much loved iconic Superbowl in Dixon Street Mall shut its doors during the zombie apolcalypse, news that even made the  hoighty toighty pages of Gourmet Traveller.  Along with the recent closure of BBQ King and the long-gone glory of Supermeal, we were beginning to think Chinatown's wonderful old school Cantonese restos were just a Tsingtao soaked memory.

Shawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07175426309170881777noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8643467301243569244.post-62077158537035764562020-09-08T10:09:00.005+10:002020-11-03T15:38:17.455+11:00

Another of life's little mysteries solved: crab noodles at Sydney Fish Market. We spend half our waking lives obsessing over what folks around the world eat, and as much time as we can travelling overseas to eat like the locals. But Sydney Fish Market flips everything on its head - here we obsess over what the tourists eat. In particular, mud crab noodles. Pre-zombie-apocalypse

Shawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07175426309170881777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8643467301243569244.post-76794369305629408752020-09-05T12:06:00.006+10:002020-09-07T17:41:58.086+10:00

Pssst. Hey mate, we've started a newsletter. You know you want to subscribe.We have started a newsletter, The Wonderful World of B-Kyu. Why from all the cockamamie, hare-brained ideas out there did we pick this one? We're not sure, but we wanted a space to talk about current articles, other writing we loved and generally talk about our food and travel obsessions in a different way.It's currently

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