The Rotisserie House, North Ryde

Date Visited: Saturday 30 November, 2019

I was really excited to check out The Rotisserie House because there’s nothing more satisfying than some delicious fresh meats. Walking in, I loved how modern and nice the place was. Though it seemed like there was a lot of takeaway orders, probably from locals, the space is seriously so lovely to dine in with family or friends. There’s an amazing selection of tasty meats from the rotisserie and I could not wait to get started!

It’s been a long, long time since I’ve had a whole fresh chicken, and now I know exactly where to go when I’m craving one. The Rotisserie House’s full chicken was absolutely amazing and so juicy, not dry at all. The meat was cooked to perfection and full of so much flavour on its own already, though it also comes with complimentary sauce. Honestly, this chicken was so satisfying and something I’d return back for.

Full chicken – $16.90

The dish that really pleasantly surprised me was the lamb souvla, with 250g of lamb served with pita bread. I’m always worried about meat being too dry, especially when it’s cut into pieces, but the lamb souvla here is truly divine. Cooked to perfection, this was basically everyone’s favourite dish of the day as the lamb is deliciously flavoured and really might be the best lamb you’ve ever had.

Souvla portion (lamb) – $14.90

I also really enjoyed these chicken pieces, but it was the chips that really impressed me. I have not had such delicious chips in ages and I know that I will be craving these again soon. They were so crispy and if you’re someone like me that adores chicken salt, this is the place to get it! I have to say I found the chips more addictive than the chicken pieces, so if I could only pick one chicken dish I’d definitely go for the full chicken, which was more juicy and flavourful.

Chicken pieces and chips

I also had the chance to try the pork belly and it was so, so satisfying. The pork was incredibly succulent with the natural pork juices filling my mouth with happiness. Definitely the perfect indulgence every now and again. If you’re a fan of super crunchy crackling, you’ll love this one. The crackling was so crunchy that it was a bit hard to cut with a knife and don’t be surprised if everyone at your table can hear the crack!

Pork souvla

The Rotisserie House also does such a wide variety of burgers! The Rotisserie House burger featured 100% aussie beef with classic burger ingredients of lettuce, tomato, grilled onions, cheese, aioli and tomato sauce. It was a great burger, one that would be great to get with a side of fries, but it was kind of a standard burger and not as impressive as the chicken or lamb souvla.

Rotisserie house burger – $9.40

If you’re craving a chicken burger, the chicken schnitzel with lettuce, tomato and a very generous serving of mayo is a good choice. Though the chicken is cooked well, it’s missing the wow factor, and most of the flavour feels like it’s the mayo sauce.

Chicken schnitzel burger – $8.50

Aside from chips, I really enjoyed the huge spread of fresh salad options that were so tasty on their own. I really enjoyed the pesto pasta and the mixed vegetables, and there are so many great options to choose from there’s something for everyone! There were also a few potato salads for the potato lovers out there, from herb and chilli potatoes to cream potatoes and lemon potatoes. The salads are the perfect healthy sides to complement the meats and can be ordered as small ($7.20), medium ($9.20) or large ($11.20).

Assorted salad dishes – $7.20 (small), $9.20 (medium), $11.20 (large)

It’s safe to say I really enjoyed my meal at The Rotisserie House and will be back for sure! It felt like an absolute local gem and I’m so glad I now know about this place. I would highly recommend all the rotisserie meats – as the name suggests, it’s what they do best, and the full chicken and lamb souvla were definitely the highlights. Please do yourself a favour and try this place out for some delicious, high quality, fresh food!

Disclaimer: I dined as a guest of The Rotisserie House, but all opinions and photos are my own. Thank you for the invite!

The Rotisserie House | 16 Blenheim Rd, North Ryde NSW 2113 | Website | Facebook | Instagram

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Hattrick, Macquarie

Date Visited: Saturday 10 March, 2018

Hattrick is definitely a top brunch spot within Macquarie Shopping Centre that is well worth a visit! The cafe is pretty hard to find until you know the secret of how to get there. The easiest way is to make your way to Big W, and head to the left when facing Big W. There’s a walkway that goes alongside the car park and it’ll lead you straight to Hattrick.

This was my second visit and the menu has gone through an amazing revamp since I was last here the year before. I was incredibly impressed by how many options they had, how creative and inventive a lot of the dishes sounded, as well as how considerate they were with having several vegan options and listing all the ingredients. It definitely makes brunching so much easier and enjoyable for people with food intolerances.

The bacon and egg combination is an absolute cafe classic, and the what up BAE provides a perfect start to the morning. I loved the clever name, and this double bacon, double egg, bun seems like it would always be a super satisfying meal. The capsicum relish gives it a boost of flavour and the potato gems on the side are such a gem indeed. They’re so good that you really wish that there were more gems, but with this only being $10, it’s amazing value for brunch on a budget.

What up BAE – $10

My choice for brunch was the jungle eggs. The name initially piqued my interest, especially as I absolutely adore eggs. The dish was two poached eggs with sweet potato, mushrooms, spinach, almonds, rockets, olive oil, and chef’s moroccan spices. When the dish came I fell in love with it. The name is so accurate, as the spinach and orange sweet potato really gave it a jungle, earthy vibe. Better yet, it was absolutely delicious and I felt so healthy and fulfilled eating this. The poached eggs were also runny egg yolk perfection, though you can leave the eggs out to make this vegan. I enjoyed this so much I’ll have a hard time ordering anything else when I return to this cafe.

Jungle eggs – $16

My friend opted for the nourish bowl, which consisted of falafel, sweet potato, asparagus, chickpeas, cabbage, avo, almonds and black rice, served with chef’s epic dressing. She also added two veggie patties for $6, though you also have the option to add poached eggs or haloumi for $4, or wood smoked salmon for $7. This is probably one of the healthiest options on the menu, with a lot of fresh goodness. It’s a bit simple, and might not blow your mind, but the veggie patties are definitely a stand out.

Nourish me this – $16, optional veggie patties – $6

For the friend who’s more keen for lunch than breakfast, you can never go wrong with a good old burger. The club trick was a gourmet burger bun filled with crispy crumbed chicken, tomato, lettuce, cabbage and mayo, and served with french fries. It’s a pretty standard burger you can get at many places. This burger was definitely very decent and tasty, with the chicken cooked well, but wasn’t that exceptional.

The club trick – $18

Lastly, it’d be such a shame to visit Hattrick without ordering one of their famous drinks. They have some incredibly aesthetic smoothies, but none of us were really feeling one that day. However, one of my friends decided to get the iced chocolate, which was such a pretty sight and a really nice drink as well. I opted for my usual chai latte with soy, and was happily satisfied. No special latte art on this one, but it always warms me up on a chilly morning.

Iced chocolate – $8.50, Chai latte with soy – $5

I have tried several of the cafes at Macquarie and I’d have to say that Hattrick is definitely my favourite and stands out for several reasons. The food is not only delicious, but so unique and aesthetic as well. To really be a cafe worth revisiting, I think you have to have dishes that other cafes won’t have, and Hattrick ticks this box. I love how healthy and colourful most of their dishes are, and their presentation is absolutely on point. There’s really something on the menu for everyone.

The service and ambience of the place also makes Hattrick the cafe to visit. The staff were attentive when we went, and the interior decor of the cafe is honestly so stunning. It’s quite a light and open area, and the green decorations help create a really relaxing vibe. I would absolutely recommend Hattrick, and it’s such an awesome cafe to visit for a chatty brunch with a friend or two!

Hattrick | Level 1, Macquarie Centre, North Ryde | Facebook | Instagram

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Leaf Cafe & Co., North Kellyville

Date visited: Sunday 1 October, 2017

Warning: lots of dishes ahead! A relatively new cafe in the Hills area, my first impressions were positive. The space looks super airy and fresh, and I loved how the natural light complemented the simple decor. We were welcomed in and had our choice of tables to sit at.

As I eat dairy free, my options were a bit limited, but I ordered the fried chicken burger (fried chicken breast, pickled jalapeños, caramelised onion, fresh tomato, baby leaf with spicy aioli on a brioche bun). The chicken had some crunch on the outside, yet was soft and not dry at all inside, so I was very happy with this burger. I would definitely be full eating the burger alone so kudos for the portion size, but I also shared a side of sweet potato chips with the rest of the table. I added some more salt to the chips as I felt it was lacking in that, but otherwise the chips tasted great too!

Fried chicken burger – $16, sweet potato chips – $6

My boyfriend got the special steak sandwich, which luckily also happened to be dairy free, so I got to try a bite of that too. It was also quite tasty, and the steak was thankfully not dry at all. However, the steak was slightly tough to bite through at times. The steakhouse chips were also a good indulgence, and seemed very fresh, hot and crispy.

Steak sandwich – $17, with steakhouse chips – $20

My friend got the rosti benedict (poached egg, smashed avocado, quinoa, potato rosti, hollandaise sauce with bacon). According to her feedback, it was a good dish, though there might have been too much quinoa in the balance of everything. The hollandaise sauce had a very strong butter taste, but the salad was great and the crunchy potato roti pieces were the best part.

Rosti benedict – $18

The last main dish ordered was the schnitzel. The size of the schnitzel was smaller than what you could get at other places, but to compensate, apparently both the mushroom sauce and the schnitzel tasted above average, making it a worthwhile dish.

Chicken schnitzel – $17

Last but not least, the drinks! Seeing as their banana nut protein shake had no dairy in it (it used coconut water instead), I was able to try this, which was a pleasant surprise. I really enjoyed it, and the banana flavour was strong enough that you could taste it but not so much so as to be overwhelming. Whilst I could not have the other drink ordered (chocolate protein shake), this apparently tasted really good too, with one person preferring it to the banana nut protein shake.

Chocolate protein shake – $10, banana nut protein shake – $10

With a growing number of cafes around the Hills area, it’s exciting to discover another cafe with a large menu and lots of variety in the food and drinks offered. It was a really pleasurable experience dining here, and I can definitely see myself revisiting this cafe.

Leaf Cafe & Co. | North Kellyville Square, 12-14 Withers Rd, Kellyville | Website | Facebook | Instagram

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The Tuckshop, Glenhaven

Date visited: Monday 17 April, 2017

Aussie burger with fries – $15 (left)

The Tuckshop is a wonderful find if you live around the Hills area. They seem to be more well known for their burgers, but they also have breakfast items on their menu. You order and pay upfront before finding a table to wait for your order. It seems to be quite a busy place, as the food didn’t arrive super quickly. I felt that the takeaway orders went out faster, but maybe I was a bit impatient from being hungry for my food.

My boyfriend ordered the Aussie burger with fries, and found it quite enjoyable. It was apparently a pretty good burger, but pretty standard at the same time if you’re comparing to other good cafe burgers. Let me get onto the fries though. THE FRIES! I adored the salt and seasoning on them and they were so addictive. I was so full halfway through but the fries were so damn good I could not stop myself from eating and eating. These are fries I dream about and can’t wait to eat again.

Fried tofu schnitzel sandwich with fries – $14-16 (estimate as I don’t remember)

Being dairy free, I get wary of burgers as most have cheese in them. Luckily when I went, they had a vegan option of a fried tofu schnitzel sandwich. This was something new to me, so I was keen to try it. The fried tofu schnitzel was actually very tasty and went well with the tomato, lettuce and their mayo sauce! The only thing that I didn’t love was the bread, as it was a little boring and I wish it was lightly toasted or a dairy free bun instead. Then again, the Tuckshop isn’t one of those places that aims to cater specifically to a vegan/healthy crowd, so I can’t really complain that much.

My overall experience was pretty positive and I would recommend the Tuckshop as an awesome place for a quick bite!

The Tuckshop | Shop 1/78, Glenhaven Road, Glenhaven, NSW | Website | Facebook | Instagram

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Chimichuri, Chatswood

Dates visited: Wednesday 28 June, 2017 and Saturday 5 August, 2017 

This is another one of those popular cafes that bloggers always feature on Instagram, and for good reason. The colours and presentation of the food look amazing, and the ideas of the dishes sound unique and not the same as every other cafe.

I had to order the Black Benedict (soft shell crab, poached eggs, salmon roe and house black hollandaise served on brioche) because I’d never eaten a crab burger before. I love soft shell crab and poached eggs, and combining that in a burger sounded like the best idea, and it really was.

At first, I tried to pick it up with my hands and eat it like a normal burger, but that quickly failed as there were so many components spilling out. However, I had fun eating it messily with a fork and knife and combining everything together. Every mouthful made me so happy. The egg was the perfect amount of runny and I just loved the entire dish. So much that the second time I visited Chimichuri I just ordered the same dish as I wanted to eat it again.

Black Benedict – $22.50

My friend ordered a coffee and the Latin Avo (corn salsa, feta, poached eggs and avocado served with artisan bread). The coffee and the Latin Avo also looked very pretty and apparently both also tasted great.

Latin Avo – $18, Coffee – $4.50

On my second visit to this cafe, this time my friends ordered the Stuffed Calamari (chicken mince, chorizo, chimichuri corn salsa, parsnip and beetroot cream) and the Lick My Bacon (the famous red striped croissant, thick cut bacon, grilled halloumi and hash brown with Canadian maple syrup).

The calamari was one of the more innovative dishes and it tasted great from the bite I tried. It didn’t look super filling though, so it’s expensive considering that, and if you’re hungry, a burger or another dish might be better. I also tried a small bite of the bacon and it was so heavenly. Thick cut bacon isn’t something you normally see in cafes and now it’s put me on the hunt to find more. As a whole, my friend really enjoyed the whole dish and struggled to finish it as it was pretty filling.

Stuffed Calamari – $21, Lick My Bacon – $18

I didn’t take a photo at the time, but one friend also ordered a soy taro latte, which was a beautiful purple colour (there are plenty of photos on Instagram of their wonderful coloured lattes if you want to have a look). I had a sip and I really liked it, especially since not many cafes would have such a drink.

Totally enjoyed both my visits to this cafe. Great for catching up with friends and the service is very prompt and friendly. Loved the decor, and most importantly, the food, and would be happy to come back again.

Chimichuri | 6 Help Street, Chatswood, NSW | Website | Facebook | Instagram

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Ume Burger, Barangaroo

Date visited: Friday 8 September 2017

I have been meaning to try this place for quite awhile and finally got a chance to last week. What makes Ume Burger unique is the way they manage to add a Japanese touch to its burgers and side dishes. I was interested in trying the special ebi burger (prawn katsu) as I’ve never had a prawn katsu burger before, but it was unfortunately sold out by the time we went at 5pm or so.

Instead, I opted for the menchi burger (pork katsu, mustard, tonkatsu sauce, mayo, onion, cabbage). I enjoyed it, but personally wasn’t in love with the combined sauces. I ordered the burger with fries in one of their combos. Having heard previous food bloggers praise the hot chips with umami salt, I was expecting a lot, and again, whilst I did really enjoy the chips, they weren’t the best I had ever had. I really love lots and lots of salt on my chips, and I found the salt wasn’t spread evenly throughout so I could have done with even more. This is very much personal preference though.

Menchi burger – $17 (combo with fries, otherwise $14.80 alone)

My boyfriend ordered the ume burger, which he said tasted pretty great for your typical beef patty, cheese, tomato, etc. burger. The main standout was how tender, super soft and juicy the patty was, and it felt like it melted in his mouth. At $14.60, its size is relatively small compared to burgers you can get from other cafes. Unless you’re just looking for a snack, the burgers alone won’t fill you up, but combining with fries is a good idea.

Ume burger – $17 (combo with fries, otherwise $14.60 alone)

The star of the meal for me was the koji fried chicken. I absolutely loved it and it would definitely be the main factor for me in wanting to return to Ume Burger. The chicken was crunchy and crispy outside but the perfect juiciness inside. The mayo was okay as well, though really, I loved the chicken on its own just fine too. I pretty much had the whole bowl myself and it was heavenly.

Koji fried chicken – $14

In terms of other comments on the place, the seating is quite open and you pick any table you want after ordering. As the seating is outside, you will feel the weather so it might not be the most comfortable on a very hot or very cold and windy day. The simple orange coloured tables and plain plating makes for some very instagrammable photos.

So ultimately, I liked the burger and fries, but it was really only the fried chicken that blew me away. I’m not sure if I would come back for the menchi burger itself, but for the fried chicken? Definitely. Maybe next time I can also try the renkon chips, as that was something else I had wanted to eat but couldn’t fit it in our order. If you haven’t yet tried this place, why not give it a go? Or if you have, I’d love to know any thoughts you have.

Ume Burger | Wulugul Walk, Barangaroo, NSW | Website | Facebook | Instagram

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