Quanjude, World Square, Town Hall

Date Visited: Saturday 14 March, 2020

I love a good Chinese feast with family and friends, so I was pretty keen to try Quanjude. Though I’ve been to World Square many times, surprisingly I have never seen or heard of  this place before. It’s tucked away to the side of World Square, but is actually a huge restaurant, with loads of seating, an upstairs area and several rooms for private groups. Despite being relatively new to Sydney, Quanjude has been around for more than a century, and is very successful overseas in Asia.

As tends to be common with Chinese restaurants, the menu is huge, with a wonderful variety of dishes to pick from. For newcomers, look out for the recommended dishes with the thumbs ups symbol on the menu. Of course, it’s hard to visit Quanjude without trying their signature peking duck!

It’s always amazing to watch an experienced chef slicing a whole peking duck in front of you, and I loved how Quanjude really showcased this. I’ve had peking duck many times before, but it was my first time trying some of the duck skin separately on its own with a bit of salt. It was very fatty and juicy so I absolutely loved it! The rest of the duck was cut up onto two plates that were more than enough for our group of 4. The duck was so beautifully delicious, with the right amount of natural flavour and juicy tenderness.

If you ask about the proper technique to eat peking duck, they will very kindly demonstrate the correct process, and I was really impressed with how our server was able to fold the pancake so cleanly with chopsticks. Put a piece of shallot or cucumber, ample sweet soy bean paste, a piece of roast duck and wrap it all in the pancake – such a delightful mouthful.

Signature peking duck (whole duck) – $88

I’m a big fan of san choy bao as well, which is meat wrapped in lettuce. However, it’s usually with chicken or pork so I was excited to try a duck version. Quanjude certainly knows duck well, and I loved this. Really great flavour in the duck that goes so well with the fresh crunchy lettuce.

Duck san choy bao – $12.8 (2 pc/portion)

Crispy shallot pancake is another Chinese restaurant classic. This one was very simple and there’s not much to it, so it’s a good option for picky kids or as a lighter entree or side dish.

Crispy shallot pancake – $12.8

The peking duck is the star at Quanjude, but these wok fried pipis with vermicelli might have possibly stolen the show. If you want to treat yourself, this is the best way to do it! This giant plate of pipis was polished off by our table pretty quickly, as the pipis and vermicelli were packed with delicious flavour from the X.O chilli sauce. I’d definitely recommend ordering these pipis for your table!

Wok fried pipis with X.O chilli sauce and vermicelli – $68

One of my other favourites of the night was the deep fried barramundi with the gorgeous sweet and sour sauce. I love how crunchy the fish is outside, and it makes this fish so addictive to eat. It is an amazing combination with the sauce and if you haven’t tried this before then you definitely need to. I’d have this over sweet and sour pork any day.

Deep fried barramundi with sweet and sour sauce – $58

Next up – this wok-fried chicken came out glistening and it was as soft and juicy as it looked. Chicken with cashew is also a very popular combination in Chinese cuisine and this dish was done really well.

Wok-fried chicken with vegetable and cashew nuts – $24.8

On the vegetables side, we ordered these bean curd robes with mushrooms and snowpea. I really liked the mushrooms in particular, though bean curd lovers will really enjoy this dish as there is so much of it in this bowl.

Crispy bean curd robes with assorted mushrooms and snowpea – $24.8

We also enjoyed the wok-fried lamb, which came out on a heated grill plate. I was worried it might be a bit dry, but don’t be fooled – it was so packed with flavour and is one of those dishes that tastes so much better than it looks. Definitely a great main dish to consider ordering!

Wok-fried lamb with shallot and cumin seed – $26.8

I was also really impressed with Quanjude’s drinks menu. Though of course it’s pretty traditional to have tea at a Chinese restaurant, Quanjude can absolutely still deliver the goods if you’re feeling a juice or cocktail. Their House Signature cocktail ($22) packs a punch with vodka, midori and a touch of pineapple, such a brilliant combination. The lychee mojito with bacardi is also such a treat, and I always find lychees so refreshing. The mocktails are very enjoyable too, and you may find it hard to pick between the tropical punch juice ($11) and the gorgeous pink lemonade.

Lychee mojito – $22 (left), pink lemonade – $9 (right)

This was such an incredible fulfilling meal; the best kind of food to share with a small group of friends or a huge table of family. My favourite must order dishes were the signature peking duck, the pipis and the deep fried barramundi, which are all sure to wow any table. Major kudos also to the staff, who were all so accomodating and attentive and really made this dinner a great experience. Quanjude reminds me of the Chinese restaurants back in China, Hong Kong and Taiwan with its lovely traditional decor and big tables. I really enjoyed this generous Chinese spread and hope to soon see Quanjude bustling full as it deserves to be.

Disclaimer: I dined as a guest of Quanjude, but all opinions and photos are my own. Thank you so much Alice (@alicechow_n) for extending the invite!

Quanjude 全聚德| 10.11/41/680 George St, Sydney NSW 2000 | Facebook | Instagram

Follow my food instagram @foodsofchar and my travel instagram @travelsofchar.

Santorini on Oxford, Darlinghurst

Date Visited: Wednesday 18 March, 2020

I visited Santorini, Greece two years ago and had an incredible time with some of the best food. I was so glad to be able to have a chance to relive my memories at Santorini on Oxford. From stepping in, I felt like I was transported back to the Greek island, with the friendly welcome and cosy vibes of the restaurant. The menu is fairly extensive with all your Greek favourites, including lots of meat, and more.

To get things started, we were treated to the seriously impressive saganaki, a very cheesy dish with a hint of alcoholic goodness. The Kefalograviera cheese was served by pouring some ouzo on the dish before lighting it up as an amazing fiery display. The presentation will definitely wow you, and if you are a cheese lover you’ll definitely want as much of this as possible!

Saganaki – $17.5

Some pita bread and dips is also a perfect way to start a Greek meal, and I loved the variety in this trio of dips. From left to right was the tzatziki, the Santorini smokey eggplant, and tarama. I think it was my first time trying tarama, which is made from fish roe, and it was quite a subtle light flavour. My favourite might have been the smokey eggplant though, perhaps because it was the strongest flavour. However, I enjoyed all three and would definitely recommend getting the trio to try the different dips!

Trio of dips with warm pita bread – $20

We also enjoyed the pita bread with this special dip. I recall that it was made from beans, but unfortunately don’t have the name of this dish and am not sure if it is even on the menu. However, it was another flavourful dip that helped our meal get off to a great start.

As if I wasn’t already wowed enough by the flaming cheese, I fell in love with these Kataifi prawns! Wrapped in kataifi, a type of string pastry, these deep fried prawns were absolutely delicious and cooked perfectly. They were beautifully crunchy and went so well with the aioli dill.

Kataifi prawns – $20

We also enjoyed this fresh Greek salad, with a variety of mixed leaf, carrots, tomatoes and cheese. I’m not usually the biggest fan of salads, but I actually really liked this Santorini salad. Everything was really well balanced and I found myself eating more of this than I thought.

Santorini salad – $18

The star of the Greek feast was this mixed meat grill plate. Souvlaki is definitely a Greek classic, and we demolished the two lamb souvlaki skewers. The lamb souvlaki, lamb loin chop, chicken thigh and loukaniko (Greek sausage) were all hot off the grill and full of so much flavour. Served with haloumi and some salad on the side, I guarantee you will be extremely full and satisfied after sharing this meat platter!

Mixed meat grill plate – $40

I really enjoyed my meal at Santorini on Oxford, with the highlights being the flaming saganaki, the amazing Kataifi prawns and the fulfilling mixed meat grill plate. This was one of those restaurants that really made me feel like I was eating traditional authentic Greek food made with lots of care. If you haven’t visited Greece before or if you want to time travel back to your Greek holiday, it’s time to visit Santorini on Oxford!

Disclaimer: I dined as a guest of Santorini on Oxford, but all opinions and photos are my own. Thank you Milk and Butter Media (@milkandbuttermedia) for arranging the invite!

Santorini on Oxford | 217 Oxford St, Darlinghurst NSW 2010 | Website | Facebook | Instagram

Follow my food instagram @foodsofchar and my travel instagram @travelsofchar.

Spice World, Haymarket

Date Visited: Wednesday 11 March, 2020

I’ve never been the biggest fan of hot pot but my mind has genuinely been changed after visiting Spice World! I honestly have not had such a good hot pot experience before, and I now know why. You have to get the fundamentals right – having a great soup base and high quality meat – and Spice World definitely delivers on both. I was impressed from the moment I stepped into the restaurant – Spice World is known for their robots handing out mints, and I loved all the Chinese inspired decor, from the roof lanterns to the dragon imprinted comfy chairs.

The first thing that struck me was how many choices were available on the extensive menu! Even in deciding the broth there were so many different options. You can pick either individual or large for share, depending on the size of your group, and you can then also pick single flavour or double flavour. For an individual broth from $9.9 up, you get your own personal hot pot, which I think is extremely reasonable. However, we opted for the large for share broth as the large broths also come with a complimentary puppy or Hello Kitty, or in our case, bear! How adorable is it!

I highly recommend getting a double flavour for more variety. We ended up picking the traditional spicy broth, ensuring to select level one chilli, along with the fresh tomato broth. My spicy tolerance is extremely weak, so I found the spicy broth extremely spicy, even though it was supposedly level one of three levels of chilli. Luckily, I absolutely loved the fresh tomato broth so I definitely had a lot more of that. The broth was incredibly rich in flavour and might have been the most perfect tomato broth I’ve had. They are so generous with making sure the broths are continually topped up and I would certainly come back to Spice World for this broth.

Traditional spicy broth + fresh tomato broth (large for share) – $32.9

The spicy bear started melting once the rest of the broth was poured in, but our attention was soon captured by the Wagyu beef dressed Barbie. It’s so gorgeous – no wonder this is one of their most popular recommended dishes! I thought this dish was only popular for the novelty of it, but I was blown away by just how amazingly delicious the Wagyu beef was itself. The beef absolutely melts in your mouth, and I’m more understanding of the pricing of Barbie considering how high quality the meat is. Another must order from Spice World that makes me want to revisit again.

Wagyu beef dressed Barbie – $38.9

We also decided to try out another of the recommended dishes, the deep fried pork belly. It sounded delicious on paper but unfortunately I was not the biggest fan upon tasting it. Whilst the portion is very reasonable for the price, it tasted a bit strange to me, and wasn’t as juicy inside as I’d hoped. It was very crunchy on the outside though, but that wasn’t enough to win me over and next time I’d pick more wagyu beef instead.

Deep fried pork belly – $10.9

We also tried the fish tofu, one of their handmade dishes. These were great, and were so easy to keep eating in between the meat. I wasn’t originally planning to order this, but I’m so glad we did, as these are a hot pot staple for a reason.

Fish tofu – $8.9

For those who need more flavour with their fish tofu or want some sauce, Spice World’s self-service sauce station is the ultimate dream. There were about 20 or more different kinds of sauces, along with suggested sauce combinations. There’s bound to be something for everyone. The menu includes a $3.9 charge per person for the self-service sauce, appetisers and seasonal fruits. Considering you can help yourself to as much as you want, it’s not too bad at all.

Self-service sauce station

Our waitress also recommended the mashed shrimp with fish roe, which was quite an unusual looking dish. A brilliant recommendation because this ended up being one of my partner’s favourites! Our waitress was so helpful and came by to help scoop the shrimp into our broth. I really enjoyed this, the fish roe added such a lovely texture and it was another easy thing to eat.

I usually want some rice or noodles to accompany lots of meat, so we also ordered udon noodles. At $5.9 it’s a big price discrepancy compared to a pack of udon from the supermarket, but there’s bound to be a premium to pay in a restaurant. Pretty standard udon noodles, but a great way to add some variety to the meal.

Mashed shrimp with fish roe – $16.9, udon noodles – $5.9 (back left)

We were also lucky enough to treat ourselves to these scallops. Admittedly the scallops didn’t wow me that much as they have no flavour and rely purely on the broths. However, the scallops seemed fresh and I loved how they presented them in their shells on the bed of ice.

Scallops on shell (6 pieces) – $18.9

Our last meat pick was the lamb slices served on the 1m plate. I might have ordered this for the novelty of it, but like the Wagyu barbie, I was awed by how good the meat actually tasted as well. This was definitely not your regular lamb slices from the Asian supermarket. The lamb was so high quality and even though there were so many slices on the 1m plate, I wanted to never stop eating this. I would highly recommend these lamb slices!

By then we were absolutely stuffed but we still had some dessert to end the feast. We tried the deep fried handmade rice cake with brown sugar, as it was one of their recommended dishes and I’d had something similar before that I had enjoyed. This was a nice treat but pretty average and there wasn’t anything to really wow me.

Lamb slices served on 1m plate – $25.9 (left), deep fried handmade rice cake with brown sugar – $7.9 (right)

Last but not least were these beautiful swan cakes. The two black ones are purple sweet potato while the other two had a durian flavour inside. Whilst we preferred the purple sweet potato, the durian ones were pretty good too, even though I’m not a huge durian lover. These were so enjoyable to eat and I loved the unique and unusual flavour profiles.

To keep myself refreshed throughout this feast, I enjoyed a mixed fruit iced tea from the Moment for $8.5. It’s so cool how you can order bubble tea or milk tea or fruit tea and it’s delivered promptly to your table from The Moment. Such a great idea!

Swan cake – $16.9

I expected that I would enjoy Spice World, but even so, I was pleasantly surprised by how much the experience exceeded my expectations. I absolutely adored the tomato broth, the Wagyu barbie and the lamb slices and I know it won’t be long until I’ll need to visit again to satisfy my cravings. The service was also impeccable, with constant help topping up the broth and ensuring that you have everything you need. I never knew dining out at a hot pot restaurant would be this much fun, and I would definitely recommend trying it out yourself at Spice World!

Disclaimer: I dined as a guest of Spice World, but all opinions and photos are my own. Thank you Get Social PR (@getsocialpr) for arranging the invite!

Spice World | 405-411 Sussex St, Haymarket NSW 2000 | Facebook | Instagram

Follow my food instagram @foodsofchar and my travel instagram @travelsofchar.

Orto Trading Co., Surry Hills

Date Visited: Sunday 1 March, 2020

Sunny and warm enough to wear a dress but not too hot to be sweating every second – if that doesn’t sound like perfect brunch weather then I don’t know what is! The outdoor courtyard at Orto Trading Co was such a relaxing place for a Sunday meal and we were so spoilt for choice. Best to go in a group to try several dishes as it’ll be hard to pick just one! We kicked things off with several refreshing drinks, from various iced teas, fresh juices and even a classic mimosa.

I’d normally leave pancakes till last as dessert, but this dish looked so good I tried it first, and I was not disappointed at all. Everything about these pancakes was pretty perfect. I love the sweetness and indulgence of pancakes with ample maple syrup and lots of fresh berries between the layers. Nothing to fault about these pancakes and I’d certainly order them again!

House made mix berry and ricotta hotcakes – $18

I was pleasantly by the toasted granola, which was a fresh light bowl of goodness. A breakfast classic with a lovely combination of fruit, granola, Greek yoghurt and some honey to keep things sweet.

Toasted granola – $15

The star of the show was the southern fried chicken eggs benedict. I’ve never had such a dish before, so I loved the creativity and genius of the poached eggs and hollandaise sauce matched with deliciously crunchy fried chicken.

Southern fried chicken benni – $22

Another dish that impressed me was the pumpkin patch. I never knew a simple oven roasted pumpkin with some poached eggs and feta could be so brilliant. Well balanced flavours meant that I was certainly a fan of this unusual brunch dish.

Pumpkin patch – $18 – vegan option available

Moving onto the lunch dishes available only from 11:30am, Orto Trading Co’s tagliatelle bolognese is an order you can’t go wrong with. They really nailed this classic dish and the bolognese sauce was absolutely on point. I think this was the first dish our group finished as it was so hard to stop eating once you had a bit of the tagliatelle!

Our classic tagliatelle bolognese – $20, classic mimosa – $15 (right)

Next up is the house-made gnocchi. I personally wasn’t the biggest fan of this as the parmesan was a very dominant flavour. The gnocchi was accompanied with cherry tomatoes, black olive tapenade, fresh basil and creamy ricotta but I felt that it was lacking something to really tie everything in the dish together.

House-made gnocchi – $22

We also tried one of the specials, the chorizo risotto. The risotto definitely made chorizo the hero and I thought the flavours were super tasty. An easy dish to keep having spoonfuls of. Featured on the right is the pineapple, passionfruit, apple and lime juice, which I really enjoyed. The juice had been sitting on the table for quite some time as we were taking photos, so I gave it a good mix before drinking – it was such a refreshingly delicious combination, and something a bit different to the usual apple, orange or green juice.

Chorizo risotto in napoli sauce, PPAL fresh juice – $8 (right)

For the person craving a burger, there’s the Angus beef burger. It was a very standard burger, with only the addition of roasted capsicum making it a bit different. Unfortunately I’m not a fan of capsicum, but I loved the well seasoned crispy fries that went with this. The burger won’t compare to one you can get from a good burger joint, but it does a decent job as the token burger option on the menu.

Angus beef burger char grilled – $20

For the ultra healthy, Orto Trading Co also offers three salads. Compared to everything else on the table, I personally wasn’t that excited about this and didn’t really try much of it, but this warm mushroom and beetroot salad with roasted sweet potato might appeal more to you!

Warm mushroom and beetroot salad – $20 – vegan option

Last but not least was a side of polenta fries with buttermilk blue cheese sauce. At $2 a chip, it’s quite steep but I guess if you’re a fan of polenta you’ll enjoy this. Otherwise, it wasn’t really a dish for me.

Truffled polenta chips – $12

There were some dishes I really loved, and some not so much, but overall I really enjoyed my brunch at Orto Trading Co! They have delightfully refreshing drinks and some absolutely winning dishes with the southern fried chicken benni, pancakes and tagliatelle bolognese amongst my favourites. I can’t believe I’ve never heard of this place before in Surry Hills, and being in such a lovely location despite only a short walk from Central station, this is certainly a hidden gem for brunch!

Disclaimer: I dined as a guest of Orto Trading Co., but all opinions and photos are my own. Thank you so much Vivian (@vivifean) for extending the invite!

Orto Trading Co.| 38 Waterloo St, Surry Hills NSW 2010 | Facebook | Instagram

Follow my food instagram @foodsofchar and my travel instagram @travelsofchar.

Hello Auntie, Darling Square, Haymarket

Date Visited: Wednesday 22 January, 2020

Darling Square is the newest place to be, so I am slowly trying out all the wonderful new restaurants in the area. I’ve heard of Hello Auntie in Marrickville before, but it wasn’t until recently that I learnt about their new Darling Square space. For anyone else working in the city, it’s so much more convenient to pop by Darling Square for dinner. What gets me excited is that Hello Auntie isn’t your typical Vietnamese restaurant! Whilst they have all the wonderful classics including banh xeo and pho, I love how they’ve added some unique twists to the menu and brought new life to Vietnamese flavours!

Hello Auntie also stands out with their huge beverages menu with some seriously inviting cocktails, and the Asian-inspired flavours especially appeal to me. Auntie’s Happiest Hour is 5:30pm-6:30pm on weekdays and 6:00pm-7:00pm on weekends, and is such a great deal, with selected $10 cocktails, $15 sake, $10 wine and $8 spirits. I loved the sound of the Pandan Summer cocktail with pineapple, coconut sorbet, campari and pandan rum, so I had to give it a go. First time I’ve ever had a cocktail with pandan flavour. I’m a big lover of pandan, so I easily enjoyed this refreshing and sweet concoction.

I was also lucky enough to try the Red Pocket, a special cocktail from Auntie’s Chinese New Year menu. It’s inspired by a Vietnamese tradition of bringing home a watermelon, with the more red it it is when cut indicating how lucky the year will be. I loved hearing about the story behind the drink and learning something new about Vietnamese culture! This was another cocktail first, as I’ve never had a watermelon cocktail before, but it worked perfectly with the vodka, lime and mint – so perfectly I don’t know why this isn’t a more popular combination. This one tasted stronger than the Pandan Summer, but would definitely be perfect for those looking for a fruity hit with summery vibes.

Pandan summer – $19 ($10 during Happiest Hour) (left); red pocket – $19 (right)

A recommended small dish to try was the beef tartare. This was such a lovely entree with the flavours being fairly subtle and light. I felt that the crunchy texture of the purple rice chips accompanied the tartare excellently, and all the ingredients in this were well balanced. I wouldn’t normally expect to see a tartare dish on a Vietnamese menu, but this was a very pleasant dish to start off with.

Beef tartare, parmesan, chives, crispy shallot, caper, cornichon, purple rice chips – $25 – gluten free, dairy free option

If I see sashimi anywhere, my mind is usually set on ordering it, and this was no different. The kingfish sashimi was beautiful, and the radish pickles and grapes went surprisingly well with it. I would have expected this dish to be on the lighter side, but the wasabi vinaigrette made this feel a bit heavier. The wasabi vinaigrette felt like most of the flavour kick in this dish, and was a little bit strong for me compared to all the other natural elements. It was an unusual combination of flavours that still held my attention and a dish you’ll especially love if you enjoy wasabi.

Kingfish sashimi, wasabi vinaigrette, radish pickles, grapes, chilli oil – $25 – dairy free, gluten free

One of the highlights of the meal was the Banh Khot. I absolutely adored these Vietnamese pancakes and would really recommend this to everyone. They tasted even better than they looked, and wrapping them in the lettuce and dipping them in the sweet chilli sauce was the happiest flavour explosion in my mouth. I also loved the touch of roe, which I don’t believe is a standard ingredient in this Vietnamese dish (correct me if I’m wrong). This is one dish that’s well worth the price and a dish I’d come back for again and again.

‘Banh Khot’ coconut and turmeric pikelets, prawn cutlets, smelt roe – $29 – dairy free, gluten free

Another star dish was the rigatoni and after one bite I fell in love with this Asian inspired pasta. With prawn, scallop and smelt roe, it’s a luxurious main that I couldn’t get enough of. Every spoonful was heavenly and packed with flavour, maybe caused in part from the added sumac. I had to Google this, but sumac is a flowery plant that can be made into a tangy lemon spice, which clearly does wonders for flavour. I was a bit apprehensive on how good this rigatoni would be, but safe to say, I was very impressed and satisfied.

Rigatoni, XO sauce, prawn, scallop, parmesan, tomato, smelt roe, sumac – $36 – dairy free option

The last main were these thick and chewy noodles that reminded me a lot of udon. I love my udon and onsen egg so this really appealed to me. I loved poking the onsen egg and mixing all the yolk, but it wasn’t noticeable in the overall flavour. The menu was not lying when it said it was tossed with fermented chilli, as this was probably the main flavour of the dish with some cheesiness added in. I didn’t enjoy these noodles as much as the rigatoni, but the rigatoni set an extremely high standard and chilli isn’t my usual go to. However, I still found these noodles addictive and it’s certainly another set of uncommon and inventive flavours.

Thick and chewy noodles tossed with fermented chilli, pork, smoked tasmanian cheddar, onsen egg, katsuobushi – $27 – dairy free option

Lastly, I will never say no to ending a meal with dessert, and this passionfruit crème brûlée tart easily exceeded my expectations. The balance of the passionfruit custard with the smooth vanilla cream and pistachio crunch was sensational. I was so full after all the dishes I’d already had but had no problems cleaning up this dessert plate. Hello Auntie often switch out the tart flavour to keep things interesting, and I’d certainly love to try some of their other flavours as well, such as yuzu or durian!

Passionfruit crème brûlée tart with vanilla cream – $15

It’s very easy for me to say that I was super impressed with my visit to Hello Auntie Darling Square, and thoroughly enjoyed the whole dining experience. The service was so accommodating and incredibly friendly, with the waiters and waitresses being very patient with my slow decision making and also being more than happy to offer suggestions. The highlights and must orders for me were the rigatoni, Banh Khot, and the crème brûlée tart. Definitely some amazing food to be had, and I would highly recommend that you #payyourauntieavisit for a memorable meal!

Disclaimer: I dined as a guest of Hello Auntie, but all opinions and photos are my own.

Hello Auntie| Shop 2/16 Nicolle Walk Darling Square, Haymarket NSW 2000 | Website | Facebook | Instagram

Follow my food instagram @foodsofchar and my travel instagram @travelsofchar.

X23 Cafe, Chippendale

Date Visited: Sunday 6 October, 2019

I’ve been meaning to visit this cafe for awhile, as I love the idea of an Asian fusion inspired brunch. With elements such as pandan, sambal, chilli crab and rendang on their signature menu, it’s enough to get anyone’s mouth watering! I went with a friend on a Sunday morning around 11am and was surprised that the cafe was empty aside from one solo diner. Though it’s a fair walk from Central station and at a fairly obscure location, it’s a beautifully designed modern cafe that deserves more visitors. It got more busy closer towards lunchtime though, with the place almost full by the time we finished up.

Starting off with drinks, I chose one of the X23 specialty drinks, a taro latte with soy. This taro latte was extremely flavourful and definitely one of the better ones I have had. I was also pleasantly surprised with the super cute paw that was on the top! It was similar to a marshmallow lolly and was a really sweet addition.

My friend opted to try the winter special Mandarin orange oolong tea. Unfortunately, this was far below expectations as it did not have much flavour. It was very watery and we both struggled to taste the oolong or the orange. There were lots of sago balls at the bottom but those were also very plain. Even though it looks really pretty, we did not feel that it was worth the $7.

Mandarin orange oolong tea – $7 (left), taro latte – $4 (right), with soy – $0.5

X23 have a specialty menu and a more standard menu of brunch classics. I always feel that it is better to try the specialty dishes at any restaurant, so one of our first picks was the X23 red eggs. This was probably the most generous scrambled egg dishes I have ever had. Flavoured with homemade spicy sambal sauce, the eggs were certainly the star of the dish. I am super weak with chilli but it barely tasted spicy at all to me. Adding sambal into the classic scrambled eggs was such a clever and unique flavour combination that worked so well.

The portion size was so generous. I wonder how many eggs went into this dish because it certainly felt like a lot. The egg was so filling that I didn’t even really eat that much of the croissant. The few crab pieces were also good but I did not pay too much attention to it compared to the egg. As this is such a heavy dish, I would definitely struggle to finish it myself, but it’s a great one to share.

X23 red eggs – $19.5

Having recently returned from a Singapore trip, I have fallen in love with salted egg yolk, so the salted egg yolk prawn pasta was a must order. The black squid ink linguine with butter glazed prawns and mushrooms was presented strikingly against the yellow salted egg yolk. I really loved this dish. The linguine was deliciously immersed with the glorious salted egg yolk – you could really taste it. I can certainly see why this was marked as one of the suggested dishes to get and I can see why you would pay $29 for this. This was one of the dishes that we pretty much universally saw every table order.

The dish was also marked as being chilli, but it was not chilli at all. The prawns were also quite big and lovely, even though there were only four pieces. It looks like quite a small dish but there is quite a good amount of noodles once it is all unravelled. However, my friend claimed that our dish had less noodles than two of our neighbouring tables. I can’t confirm if this was actually true or if we loved it so much we just wanted more. This was the favourite dish for both my friend and I, and we both wholeheartedly agreed that we would return just for this dish.

Salted egg yolk prawn pasta – $29

We ordered a third dish because I really wanted to try the pandan waffles as well and I didn’t want to not order the eggs or the pasta. These pandan waffles with homemade kaya jam and vanilla ice cream were delicious. Sometimes cafes put ice cream with waffles just to have something hot and cold, but the pandan and vanilla actually complimented each other really well. Admittedly, the kaya was very subtle and not really noticeable, but the consistency of the waffles were perfect and this was another winning dish for me. The lychee and seasonal fruits were lovely as well.

Pandan-lah – $19.9

Having not brunched in over two months, this was definitely the way to get inspired again from Sydney’s brunch scene. The specialty menu is truly original and I love how X23 have rejuvenated the standard brunch dishes with some classic Asian flavours. With such a diverse menu, it is a strong way to stand out from other cafes. There were so many delicious sounding dishes that I would love to have also been able to try. The three dishes we ordered between two was definitely more than enough and we were both struggling at the end with no regrets. I greatly enjoyed my brunch at X23 and am a huge supporter of the Asian fusion concept.

X23 Cafe | 102/18 Park Lane, Chippendale NSW 2008 | Website | Facebook | Instagram

Follow my food instagram @foodsofchar and my travel instagram @travelsofchar.

Two Good Eggs Cafe, Surry Hills

Date Visited: Saturday 16 June, 2018

I’ve never heard of this cafe before but I’m always down to try new places! This was a really cute cafe located a short walk from Central station and easily accessible from anywhere else in the city. It has a really warm and comforting interior and lots of choices on their menu. Being a cold day, it was best to start off with a warm drink, so that’s exactly what we did. My friend got the hot chocolate and it did not disappoint. It’s presented beautifully and is exactly what you expect. An easy go to drink to order again.

Hot chocolate – $4

I went for my typical boring choice of a chai latte with soy. Unlike some other cafes, this was served in a big teapot, which in one way is much better value for money as it fills the cup about two and a half times. There was a really good chai flavour but for some reason it didn’t taste as perfect as other chai lattes I’ve had – I feel like the consistency was a bit too watery. However, I still enjoyed it and thought it was decent value.

Chai latte with soy – $5

As the cafe is called two good eggs, it only made sense to order a dish with two eggs in it! Their special eggs benedict included two poached eggs with hollandaise, avocado, and spinach, on sourdough with ham. You can also opt for bacon or mushroom, or for an extra dollar, smoked salmon or a half half combination. My friend has ordered this a few times so it’s definitely a dish he really enjoys. The poached eggs ooze runny yolk when cut open and all the ingredients come together nicely in this breakfast classic.

Eggs benedict on sourdough with avocado and ham – 19.90

Even though I love my eggs, I’m also a massive pancakes lover, so I decided to try their buttermilk pancakes with strawberry compote, vanilla mascarpone and milk chocolate shavings. It was definitely a very satisfying and filling feed, but not the best pancakes I’ve had in both presentation and taste. I suppose it’s not their specialty, compared to all the dishes with eggs in it. Nevertheless, the portion was very generous and the berry compote went beautifully with the fluffy pancakes.

Buttermilk pancakes with strawberry compote, vanilla mascarpone and milk chocolate shavings – 18.90

I definitely enjoyed my meal at Two Good Eggs, and think it’s a trusty place to grab a bite for breakfast or lunch. I don’t think they are on the same level as some of the other cafes these days with inventive and unique dishes that truly make them stand out, but Two Good Eggs definitely seem to do the classic breakfast dishes very well. The service was also super attentive, and with all day breakfast, it could be a convenient choice when you’re in the city looking for something to eat.

Two Good Eggs Cafe | 144/148 Goulburn St, Surry Hills | Website | Facebook | Instagram

Follow my food instagram @foodsofchar and my travel instagram @travelsofchar.