Porteño has brought Argentinean barbecue to Sydney in spectacular style. It’s all about meat, fire and flavour. If you don’t come hungry, you may cry in regret.

Porteño, Surry Hills, Sydney

Porteño only takes bookings for groups of five or more to a maximum of 12 people for two seatings each night, 6pm to 8.30pm and 9pm to close. Groups of 8 or more are served a banquet-style menu at AU$80 per person. If the restaurant is full, you’ll go on a waiting list – there is Gardel’s Bar upstairs where you can wait. Juji, Jay and I are here with Craig and Caroline for the 6pm session.

Porteño – dining room

As we’re shown to our table we’re thrilled to see we’ve been seated opposite the carving station and the asado, the barbecue pit filled with ironbark embers, around which two pigs and two lambs are stretched out on racks. It’s the campfire of my dreams and a proud symbol of what we’re all here to do: eat meat. All night, I watch and photograph the meat carving show as the lambs and pigs steadily disappear, taken off the rack, sliced up and served.

Two pigs (front) and two lambs (back)

Along the back wall is the parrilla, the horizontal grill, where other cuts of meat are cooked, including beef, sausage, ribs, sweetbreads and seafood.

Cow parts diagram

The staff are dressed retro-style. It feels like we’ve stepped into another time or crashed a costume party. I’m sorry I didn’t get a picture of the maitre’d, who is absolutely stunning and elegant in a 1950s-style dress, her hair immaculately done in pin-curls. It’s a noisy dining room even at the start of service, with the music turned up loud. You won’t just get a meal here; you get sensory overload – the Porteño experience.

The bar at Porteño

Tattooed chefs Ben Milgate and Elvis Abrahanowicz are the team that brought Spanish restaurant Bodega to Sydney. They always look to me like friends of the Fonz, more like 1950s mechanics than chefs. But these guys love what they do and it shows. Watching them work is better than TV.

Elvis carves, Ben garnishes

We start our meal with pan de casa – house baked bread (AU$2 per head), served with olive oil and pork pate. The chimichurri and salsa that we’ll eat with our meats is served up now too.

Pan de casa, house baked bread with olive oil and pork pate (AU$2 per head)

The bread is crusty and crisp on the outside, soft and fluffy on the inside. It makes that satisfying crackle when I break it apart with my hands. I’m not a pate fan, but the others slather it on

Looks like a scone, or is that a stone? Tastes wonderful.

The calamres asado (AU$24) is barbecued calamari with chickpea sofrito, preserved lemon and watercress. The large squid tentacles are tender and taste of the barbecue. The spiced chickpeas are fragrant and the preserved lemon adds zing. Watercress has to be one of the most under-utilised vegetables in Australian restaurants, and I am pleased it’s been included here.

Calamres asado, barbecued calamari with chickpea sofrito, preserved lemon and watercress (AU$24)

The chanchito a la cruz (AU$44), or 8-hour woodfired pig is fantastic. The crackling is crispy, with layers of creamy white fat and succulent meat. We gnaw on the ribs too.

Chanchito a la cruz. 8-hour woodfired pig (AU$44)

On a table of pork fans, no one is more surprised than us to realise that the star of tonight’s show is the lamb. The cordero a la cruz (AU$42) is 8-hour woodfired milk fed Mirrool Creek lamb. Tender is an understatement; a knife and fork are only necessary for manners’ sake.

Cordero a la cruz, 8-hour woodfired milk fed Mirrool Creek lamb (AU$42)

We almost forget that we’ve ordered the tira de asado (AU$30), O’Connor grass fed Angus beef short ribs. They’re smoky from the grill but a little tough, which is a shame.

Tira de asado, O’Connor grass fed Angus beef short ribs (AU$30)

The crispy fried Brussels sprouts with lentils and mint (AU$14) are magnificent and could convert the most diehard Brussels sprouts haters, including me. The magic of deep-frying and the combination of fresh mint and vincotto dressing has transformed them into incredibly moreish flavour bombs. I’ve eaten Brussels sprouts made tolerable with the addition of bacon, but this is the best-tasting Brussels sprouts dish I’ve ever eaten. The recipe is available online: crisp Brussels sprouts with lentils.

Repollitos de brusela frito, crispy fried Brussels sprouts with lentils and mint (AU$14)

The polenta with provolone cheese (AU$14) is drizzled with chimmichurri. It looks plain and nowhere as appealing as the other dishes, but it’s creamy and deceptively rich, thanks to the cheese.

Polenta a la tabla, polenta with provolone cheese (AU$14)

I’d be worried about missing out on the pork or lamb if I dined during the 9pm session. If you want to photograph your meal, you’ll get better natural light in the main dining area in the courtyard during the early part of the 6pm session, although it will fade to darkness by the time you hit dessert.

Tending to the meat

The entire time we are there, I keep turning to watch and point my camera at Ben and Elvis. I think my dining companions understand – it’s glorious food porn, hot and glowing, glistening and succulent, right in front of me.

Elvis is still carving meat

This is happiness!

Before and after at Porteño, Surry Hills

We order up a feast of desserts to share. At this point it’s so dark in the restaurant we try a bit of experimental lighting using my iPad. See Craig and Caroline’s Porteño post for a picture of the iPad in action.

The pina colada spider (AU$14) is made with pineapple soda and coconut rum ice cream with real chunks of pineapple nestled at the bottom of the glass, beneath the frothy ice cream layer. When we were kids, my brother and I used to make spiders using lemonade and vanilla ice cream. The froth always bubbled over and made a mess that we had to quickly clean up before grandma noticed.

Piña colada spider (AU$14)

The leche quemada, burnt milk custard with orange jam and chocolate ice cream (AU$14) looks like a 3D-textured abstract painting in the art gallery – everyone who sees it is tempted to touch it. Jaffa fans will love the chocolate and orange flavours of this dish. The popcorn adds a chewy element to an otherwise velvety dish.

Leche quemada, burnt milk custard with orange jam and chocolate ice cream (AU$14)

The South American style pavlova (AU$14) with caramel, mango, soft sponge and meringue looks like a cross between a Star Wars battleship and a strange armored prehistoric creature… it looks intimidating and tastes divine.

Postre chaja – South American style pavlova (AU$14). Looks like a battleship, tastes amazing

If you’re a meat lover and planning a trip to Sydney, this is a restaurant you should consider adding to your itinerary (round up four mates to go with you, so you can book). If you live in Sydney, lucky you!

Porteño and Gardels Bar, Surry Hills, Sydney

My Sydney trip (2011)

I went to Sydney with my sister Juji and her fiancé Jay in November 2011.
See the list of posts so far, in reading order. There’s still more to come.

• Juji’s Porteño post at Juji Chews
• Craig and Caroline’s Porteño post at Damn Fine Food

Cook For Your Career + Matt Moran cookbook giveaway

Australian readers, don’t forget to enter for your chance to win 1 of 2 Matt Moran autographed cookbooks!

Duendé is known for its Spanish menu – tapas, paella, sangria. Breakfast is a fairly recent addition. The breakfast menu is small, but worth a look if you’re in the mood for something other than the typical fry-up. Don’t worry, there is bacon and eggs – Schulz bacon from the Barossa Valley and Cackleberries eggs from the South West, cooked any way Even better, breakfast is served practically all day, from 7.30am to 4.30pm, handy if you’ve slept in or are just slow to get moving.

Across the road, breakfast heavy-hitter Sayers Food is pumping as usual but it’s not busy at all at Duendé when we arrive at around 10.30am on the sunny Friday morning of Jac’s birthday. The staff are friendly but (thank goodness) not annoyingly chirpy. I get nods from the kitchen and smiles from the bar, and that’s all I need before my first meal of the day. As soon as we are seated we’re given water and our coffee/drinks order taken before we are left to peruse the menu – another big tick.

Even before our tummies are fed, Duendé delivers a feast for the eyes. There are so many interesting things to look at – I find myself getting distracted in the details around me and have to apologise to Jac for my inattention.

From where we sit we have a great view into the kitchen. On high shelves there are stacks of earthenware dishes, crusty loaves of bread, and bottles, tins and packets of ingredients. On the chalkboard, delicious scribbles that make me think about coming back for tapas sometime.

A view into the kitchen, Duendé

Jac orders the corn fritters, hot smoked salmon, asparagus, egg (AU$19.50). The hot smoked salmon, rocket leaves and tender spears of lightly pickled asparagus have been tossed with a creamy dressing and served with a soft poached egg and two very tasty corn fritters. The presentation is simple, elegant and appealing.

Corn fritters, hot smoked salmon, asparagus, egg (AU$19.50)

I choose the crab, chorizo & spring onion omelette (AU$17), served with toast and French butter.

Crab, chorizo & spring onion omelette (AU$17)

The omelette is cooked beautifully, soft in the middle without being runny. The chorizo adds a burst of spice and salt. I reckon a little more crab would make it perfect. The Lescure butter adds a touch of decadence to the rusky toast. Both of our dishes are delicious and deceptively filling. We wash it all down with tall glasses of freshly squeezed orange juice (AU$7).

Crab, chorizo & spring onion omelette – innards

Spanish wine may sneak into your consciousness even if you haven’t ordered any – the back wall has been constructed from wooden wine boxes and the names of Spanish wineries are inscribed all along the wall above the bi-fold doors.

Quirky drawings adorn the panels above the windows. The back wall has been constructed from wooden wine boxes.

Duendé, Leederville – bar, loaded with local and imported beverages

I’d like to return to Duende for tapas and dessert, available from noon till late. I rather like the sound of sticky pork belly bites and doughnut balls with condensed milk ice cream…

Duendé, Leederville, on the corner of Carr Place and Newcastle Street

Duendé
Open everyday 7.30am to late

After breakfast, we went to the Cat Haven and came home with a sweet tabby kitten we named Truffle. I wouldn’t call her and Pixel “friends” yet, but things are slowly moving in that direction. All good – we know it will take time.

Harry’s Cafe de Wheels is a Sydney institution. Australia’s most famous pie cart was originally named “Harry’s” and served ‘pie and peas’ and crumbed sausages near the front gates of the naval dockyard at Woolloomooloo back in 1938. Proprietor and namesake Harry Edwards took a break from his food business to join the army and fight in World War II, and upon his return, reopened for business. Over the years, the pie cart has been replaced, upgraded, modernised and run by different owners, but Harry’s Cafe de Wheels has been operating continuously at Woolloomooloo since 1945, serving up hot tasty food to tourists, visiting celebrities, local workers, taxi drivers and late night revellers.

As a proud pie lover, each time I’ve been to Sydney/New South Wales, a visit to Harry’s Cafe de Wheels has been a must. There are now seven Harry’s Cafe de Wheels locations – I’ve only been to Haymarket and Newcastle. This time, I’m keen to visit the iconic Harry’s Cafe de Wheels (no longer on wheels) at the original location in Woolloomooloo. The first time I heard of Harry’s Cafe de Wheels and laid eyes on this very pie stand was through watching Water Rats, a TV drama series about the Sydney Water Police, set and filmed at locations around Sydney Harbour.

Harry’s Cafe de Wheels, Woolloomooloo

The resident seagulls and pigeons watch the pie eaters come and go…be careful not to lose your pie to a bold seagull!

I am here for a Tiger, Harry’s Cafe de Wheels’ signature pie named after founder Harry Edwards, who earned the nickname “Tiger” for his boxing prowess. All the choices sound good and I love a Curry Tiger, but today I want the original Tiger, a beef pie topped with mashed potato and smothered with mushy peas and gravy, served almost too hot to eat.

The Original Tiger, Harry’s Cafe de Wheels, Woolloomooloo

Brown gravy, lumpy mushy peas and mashed potato all piled on top of a meat pie probably sounds like someone’s late night drunken invention, a nightmarish idea dreamed up during a serious attack of the munchies. It’s a beautiful monster of a pie I’m proud to love, a deceptively substantial savoury combination that brings comfort and pleasure.

The original Tiger – pie, peas, mash and gravy

There are old milk crates scattered around and a few stools to perch on to eat your pie, but most punters stand to eat, leaning elbows on the counters in the shade of the awning that goes all around the cart. In addition to sauces (Worcestershire, sweet chilli and HP), white vinegar and salt and pepper, there are boxes of tissues readily available. Tiger pies are messy!

The walls are decorated with photographs of famous people who’ve eaten at Harry’s Cafe de Wheels over the years.

This photograph from 1972 of Colonel Harland Sanders biting into a pie at Harry’s Cafe de Wheels never fails to bring a smile to my face. Apparently Colonel Sanders loved Harry’s ‘pie and peas’ so much he ate three!

Photograph of Colonel Sanders eating a pie at Harry’s Cafe de Wheels, 1972

Harry’s Cafe de Wheels is next to Finger Wharf. Constructed in 1915, Finger Wharf operated as a busy commercial shipping centre but was threatened with demolition in 1987. As a result of community outcry, the wharf was allowed to remain, renovated instead of destroyed. It now houses a boutique hotel, restaurant strip, offices and apartments.

The view – Finger Wharf

The more I eat, the uglier the pie gets. It’s a challenge to devour it quickly before the gravy makes its escape.

The original Tiger – after the first mouthful

Harry’s Cafe de Wheels doesn’t just serve pies. You can get pasties, sausage rolls, hot dogs and other snacks here. The hot dogs were introduced in the 1970s to cater for American sailors. I know quite a few people who will testify to the restorative properties of a Harry’s chilli dog or two at the end of a big night out. It’s fantastic late-night drunk food but it’s good tucker at any time of day.

I’ve only ever been to Harry’s Cafe de Wheels in daylight hours. Someday I’ll be back to tuck into my beloved Tiger pie, surrounded by night sky lit up by the glow of neon “Harry’s”. I wish for the trillionth time we had Harry’s Cafe de Wheels in Perth. I’d love a Tiger before work. Today. Right now.

You can now see the Harry’s Cafe de Wheels pie cart from 1945 on display at Powerhouse Museum.

If you’re a fan, what’s your favourite Harry’s Cafe de Wheels item?

Harry’s Cafe de Wheels

Harry’s Cafe de Wheels – Woolloomooloo
Monday 8.30am to 2.00am (next day)
Tuesday 8.30am to 2.00am (next day)
Wednesday 8.30am to 3.00am (next day)
Thursday 8.30am to 3.00am (next day)
Friday 8.30am to 4.00am (next day)
Saturday 9.00am to 4.00am (next day)
Sunday 9.00am to 1.00am (next day)

Other locations (opening hours vary): Newcastle, Haymarket, Liverpool, Ultimo, Parramatta and Tempe. There used to be a Harry’s Cafe de Wheels at Sydney Airport.

How to spell Woolloomooloo
The secret to learning how to spell Woolloomooloo?
Break it up into four words: Wool, loo, moo and loo… Woolloomooloo.

My Sydney trip (2011)

I went to Sydney with my sister Juji and her fiancé Jay in November 2011.
See the list of posts so far, in reading order. There’s still more to come.

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On the Night of the Tuna Jaw during which we seem to talk about nothing else but food, Helen also tells us about Azuma Patisserie, located in Regent Place arcade on George Street, Sydney. She begins by asking: “Do you guys like chiffon cake?” Juji’s and my eyes sparkle as we answer together: “Oh YES!”

The next day, after we return from Cabramatta, Jay takes a much-needed afternoon nap while Juji and I embark on a chiffon cake quest.

Azuma Patisserie’s housemade chiffon cakes are available in five flavours: honey, earl grey tea, green tea, chocolate and plain. Whipped cream is an extra 50 cents (we didn’t need it).

Chiffon Cake Set sign

In addition to chiffon cake, there are beautifully delicate single-serve desserts and pastries including creme brulee, panna cotta, tiramisu, baked cheesecake, yuzu tart and green tea swiss roll. Frozen yoghurt is also available, in original and green tea flavours.

Chiffon cakes and pastries

As well as the usual tea and coffee variations, Azuma Patisserie offers Japanese-style teas and coffees including buckwheat tea, several blends of green tea, matcha latte and iced versions.

Azuma Patisserie & Cafe, Sydney

Juji and I order a chiffon set (chiffon cake + drink). She gets the coffee, we share the cake. We’re served a slab of pillowy cake that’s wonderfully light, airy and fluffy. It melts in the mouth and, to our delight, is not too sweet.

Chocolate chiffon cake

After this first taste, I’m left craving for more. Juji doesn’t need much convincing to return. On our second visit, Jay is with us.

I only have eyes for chiffon cake but the others order different things this time.

Throughout our stay in Sydney, we see posters on shop windows advertising Pat & Sticks ice cream sandwiches, which we’ve never seen in Perth. Juji and Jay order a Pat & Sticks Mochaccino ice cream sandwich to share – espresso ice cream between choc fudge cookies. I’m not a fan of ice cream sandwiches myself (not keen on the texture of the frozen cookie), but the espresso ice cream is lovely.

Pat & Sticks Mochaccino ice cream sandwich

Juji and Jay also share a baked cheesecake. It’s moist and delicious, golden with browned edges, a sunburst in crinkly silver patty paper.

Baked cheesecake

I order a slice of “plain” chiffon cake. It may be called “plain” but tastes beautiful, with the same pillowy texture as the chocolate chiffon.

Chiffon cake – original flavour

Juji and Jay enjoy a macchiato and iced chocolate and me, an iced matcha, intensely green and refreshing, though unsweetened and quite bitter.

It’s a gorgeous cafe, a chiffon cake haven in an arcade. Definitely worth a visit for chiffon cake fans.

It’s cake I want all to myself. If I ever return to Azuma Patisserie I know what I’ll be suggesting to my companion(s): “Why don’t we get a slice each?”

Azuma Patisserie, Sydney

Stay tuned for a write-up of dinner at Chef’s Gallery, also located in Regent Place, later in my Sydney series.

Regent Place, 501 George St, Sydney

Azuma Patisserie & Cafe
Opening hours:
Monday to Thursday 12pm to 10pm
Friday and Saturday 12pm to 10.30pm
Sunday 12pm to 9pm

Azuma Patisserie chef/owner Kimitaka Azuma also has a restaurant next door in Regent Place, Azuma Kushiyaki.

My Sydney trip (2011)

I went to Sydney with my sister Juji and her fiancé Jay in November 2011.
See the list of posts so far, in reading order. There’s still more to come.

We’re meeting my friend Charlene for dim sum breakfast. All I’ve had since waking up is a cup of tea, and I am ravenous. Charlene has been telling me all about Northbridge Chinese Restaurant’s deep-fried soft shell crab and I can’t wait to taste it for myself. By the time we arrive in Northbridge, I think Jac is tired of listening to me talk about it!

We join the fidgety crowd on the front steps waiting for the restaurant to open. When the doors finally swing open, we all swarm in. At peak weekend dim sum time, you may have to wait for a table.

By the time we’re seated and the trolleys begin rolling by, everything looks unbelievably good and I want it all. Steamed scallop dumpling? Yes please! Steamed pork bun? Gimme gimme! Pretty soon, our table is loaded with steamer baskets.

Scallop dumplings, delicate dumpling skins enclosing delicate scallops within

Steamed BBQ pork buns

Meaty steamed pork dumplings (siew mai)

Plump and bursty steamed prawn dumplings (har gow)

While Jac and I dip our dumplings into hoisin sauce, Charlene drowns her dumplings in chilli oil.

Charlene chilli-dipping a prawn dumpling

A woman walks around the tables with trays of cold drinks and a pen in one hand to note on your docket what you’ve chosen. The first time around, we all choose the pink watermelon juice. The next time, Jac can’t resist the colourful and layered jelly sago drink. The drink is handed over with the instruction “Mix it up before you drink it”.

Drinks!

Jac and I share a bowl of century egg porridge. It’s ladled into a bowl, then topped with crispy fried pastry squares and chopped fresh spring onion. It’s steaming hot, so of course, I burn my tongue on my first spoonful. I smile as I eat, thinking of my almost-three-year-old niece Zoe at dim sum with my family, trying century egg porridge for the first time. She happily ate all the black bits of century egg but spat out every single strand of spring onion.

Century egg porridge

The food keeps coming! We can’t resist the deep-fried squid tentacles. Charlene and I are still keeping an eye out for the soft shell crab dish.

Salt and pepper squid

The slippery rice flour rolls are available with different fillings, including prawns, barbecue pork and yow char kwai (deep fried dough) – we choose prawns.

Rice flour roll filled with prawns

We all enjoy our token vegetable dish of kai lan with oyster sauce, bright green and juicy-leafed with crisp stalks.

Kai lan

At last, the deep-fried soft shell crab. It’s verging on too salty but it’s irresistibly good. We eat it all, picking every last morsel of batter, crab and garlic off the plate.

Deep-fried soft shell crab

Deep-fried soft shell crab

Charlene and Jac have tau foo far, silken tofu in sugar syrup, served hot. It’s a dish I’ve never been fond of – I’ve always thought it’s too much tofu, not enough syrup!

Tau foo fa

I’m not done yet – for me, dim sum is not complete without a favourite item since childhood: egg tart.

Egg tarts

Eating an egg tart fresh and warm from the oven makes me happy. The rustle of the patty paper in my hand, the crispy frills of slightly oily pastry, the soft egg custard in the middle, so soft I feel like I could lap it up…

Egg tarts

As the trolleys continue rolling by, the thought of another dish makes us all feel a little ill, a sign that it’s time to go. The staff are ready to whisk the dirty cloth off our table the second we stand up. There are people watching from the sidelines, waiting to claim our table, eager to be among the bustle and food.

Northbridge Chinese Restaurant

You know it’s been a successful dim sum outing when you don’t need lunch that day and a post-dim sum nap beckons.

Northbridge Chinese Restaurant

Northbridge Chinese Restaurant, Northbridge
Open 7 days

Charlene and I attended the same university but became friends and met (in that order) through our blogs. We juggle life, work and our creative passions, and get together every few months to eat and catch up. We’re both storytellers and like to take photographs. You might like to check out one of Charlene’s current projects, Migrant Mothers – stories and images of women who came to Australia from elsewhere in the world and have now built a life here.

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As we sit in Izakaya Fujiyama in Surry Hills, picking away at a massive tuna jaw with chopsticks and forks, I ask Sydneysider Helen if she’s got any suggestions for a good breakfast place the next day.

“What about Lumiere?” she suggests. “They do French toast with bacon, maple syrup and caramelised banana.”

It’s as if she has spoken the words of a magical incantation… I am instantly enchanted by the spell, powerless to resist.

I can’t stop thinking about this, my dream breakfast dish.

French toast of brioche with caramelised banana, bacon and maple syrup (AU$18)

Our plan for the next morning is to get up reasonably early, grab breakfast, then catch a train to Cabramatta for more eating and drinking.

To ensure we don’t fill up too much at breakfast, we order two dishes to share, saving precious tummy space for what’s to come at Cabramatta.

At first sight, the omelette with smoked ham, mushrooms, chives and provolone cheese (AU$17) doesn’t have the eye-popping drool-worthy food porn appeal of the French toast, bacon and banana. In fact, it looks downright dull and frumpy next to it.

Omelette with smoked ham, mushrooms, chives and provolone cheese (AU$17)

We don’t realise how generously the omelette has been filled until we cut into it. The mushroom juice makes it somewhat soggy, but it’s tasty. It’s quite rich due to the cheese and we’re glad we’re sharing it.

Omelette innards – with smoked ham, mushrooms, chives and provolone cheese (AU$17)

The French toast of brioche with caramelised banana, bacon and maple syrup (AU$18) is magnificent. Layers of crispy bacon and slices of soft sweet caramelised banana are piled on top of thick-cut eggy toast sitting in a glistening pool of maple syrup.

I know exactly the stages of eating this dish: it begins with desire, then indulgent, intense pleasure, followed by remorse. But the pleasure is totally worth the remorse.

French toast of brioche with caramelised banana, bacon and maple syrup (AU$18)

The others order coffee but I order a Morning Glory (AU$6.80), freshly blended orange, apple and pineapple with mint. I enjoy the fruit juice but the straw gets clogged up from all the shredded mint. It’s a minor annoyance in an otherwise wonderful breakfast.

Morning glory (orange, apple, pineapple and mint (AU$6.80)

Lumiere Cafe is airy and bright, with modern, stylish decor and plenty of seating inside and out in the sunshine – lots of great spots for people-watching. The breakfast menu is extensive and (here are more magic words) available all day.

Go on… desire, pleasure and remorse await.

Lumiere, Surry Hills

Lumiere Cafe
Monday to Friday 7.30am to 4.30pm
Saturday and Sunday 8am to 5pm

My breakfast dream of brioche French toast, bacon, banana and maple syrup began a few years ago with a spectacular dish at the Gun Shop Cafe in West End, Brisbane. The dish is still on the menu, now also with candied pecans.

My Sydney trip (2011)

I went to Sydney with my sister Juji and her fiancé Jay in November 2011.
See the list of posts so far, in reading order. There’s still more to come.

Kong Hei Fatt Choy! My family got together yesterday to celebrate Chinese New Year with a delicious lunch. Photos/post are forthcoming.

I’ve met some colleagues for drinks at the Oxford in Leederville after work. Jac picks me up from the pub. We’re both tired and hungry and want a quick, simple dinner – we decide to try Anna Vietnamese Restaurant across the road.

We choose a few dishes to share and eat with steamed rice.

Jac chooses the muc muoi tieu (salt and pepper squid, AU$17.80). The tender pieces of squid have been scored, seasoned with salt and pepper and sauteed with lots of onion and garlic.

Muc muoi tieu (salt and pepper squid, AU$17.80)

I choose the heo xao lan (pork mild curry, AU$15.90), sliced pork braised in a mild curry and coconut cream sauce with onion, cabbage, green capsicum and baby corn. The pork pieces are very tender and the curry sauce is delicious soaked into the steamed rice.

Heo xao lan (pork mild curry, AU$15.90)

Our chosen vegetable dish is tau hu xao rau (bean curd braised with vegetables, AU$14.70). There’s carrot, broccoli, celery, baby corn, choy sum, bean sprouts, champignons and chunky pieces of tofu.

We also order fresh lemon juice and fresh orange juice (AU$3.80 each). I love the fresh fruit juices you get in Vietnamese restaurants.

Tau hu xao rau (Bean curd braised with vegetables, AU$14.70)

We decide to stay a little longer and get dessert. Jac orders the caramel flan and ice cream (AU$5.40).

Caramel flan and ice cream (AU$5.40)

I order the banana fritter and ice cream (AU$5.40). The fritter and vanilla ice cream have been drizzled with caramel sauce. Nothing will beat the fresh banana fritters I’ve eaten back in Malaysia as a child and more recently in Kuching, but I enjoy this anyway. I help Jac finish her caramel flan too.

Banana fritter and ice cream (AU$5.40)

I love hot fried battered banana with ice cream. I love eating hot and cold foods together – hot fudge sundae, nachos (hot) with sour cream (cold) and guacamole (cold), hot apple pie with ice cream… What about you? Are you a fan of the hot and cold food combo? Here’s a list to get you thinking.

Dinner at Anna’s was exactly what we were after – something quick and simple. The dishes we ordered were tasty without being outstanding. We’d probably eat at Anna’s again but wouldn’t go to Leederville especially just to do so. Take note, if you’re a fan of Vietnamese broken rice or pho – unless there’s a secret section of the menu I missed completely, both are notably absent.

Anna Vietnamese Restaurant, Leederville

Anna Vietnamese Restaurant
BYO; corkage is AU$1.50 per person
Opening hours
Monday to Thursday 5pm to 10pm
Friday to Saturday 5pm to 11pm
Sunday 5pm to 10pm

In case you missed it: I visited Cabramatta during my Sydney trip – that’s the place to go for authentic and delicious Vietnamese restaurants and coffee shops, takeaway drinks, snacks and sweets.

On our Sydney to-do list is a train ride to visit Cabramatta, Australia’s largest Vietnamese community, known by locals as “Cabra”. What you’ll find is a small bustling suburb, not a tourist town – but for the food lover, photographer and blogger, Cabramatta is a treasure trove of interesting sights, delicious tastes and enticing smells, with authentic Vietnamese restaurants, coffee shops and groceries, takeaway snacks and sweets.

Cabramatta shops

At the fruit and veg shop, tropical fruits feature prominently among the apples and oranges. A woman thoughtfully examines the jackfruit on display under the watchful eye of the shopkeeper. Nearby are coconuts, papayas and mangoes.

A lady checks out the jackfruit at a fruit market in Cabramatta

At another shop, bunches of bananas hang from metal hooks, reminiscent of markets in South-east Asia.

Fruit market, Cabramatta

Bananas, kiwifruit and grapes, Cabramatta

I’m delighted to catch a whiff of durian before noticing the thorny fruits in a box right at another shop’s entrance.

Durians for sale

Enterprising grandmothers in floppy hats and sneakers sell home-grown vegetables, bird’s eye chillies and fresh herbs at makeshift stalls set up mall-side on old milk crates and shopping bags.

Vegetable hawker, Cabramatta

Vegetable hawker, Cabramatta

Cafe 86, John St, Cabramatta

It’s a typically muggy Sydney spring day and we’re hot and thirsty from our train ride. We’re pleased when we locate Cafe 86, almost hidden as it’s just off the main strip of John Street. The outdoor area is packed. It looks like the place to go for hot and cold Vietnamese drinks, a favourite spot for Vietnamese blokes to grab a coffee and smoko with mates.

Cafe 86, Cabramatta

No matter what you order, you are first served a tall glass of complimentary iced jasmine tea, bitter but refreshing.

Complimentary jasmine tea, Cafe 86, Cabramatta

Juji and Jay order Vietnamese iced coffee. It’s thick, dark and very strong, sweetened with condensed milk and made with plenty of crushed ice.

Iced coffee, Cafe 86, Cabramatta

I order a jackfruit smoothie, made with real jackfruit. It’s delicious but very creamy and rich – I struggle to finish two-thirds of it.

Jackfruit smoothie, Cafe 86, Cabramatta

There’s a steady influx of customers and the staff are kept busy blending up icy cold drinks, making coffee and delivering more glasses of complimentary iced jasmine tea.

Cafe 86, Cabramatta

There are lots of knick-knacks and bargains to be found. They aren’t kidding about the “variety” in this shop. It’s like a real life hidden object game.

Best Bargain Variety, Cabramatta

In one of many arcades that twist and turn, we find this very festive butcher.

A butcher in Cabramatta

There is no shortage of places to get sugar cane juice made fresh to order. The sugar cane stalks are fed into a machine that crushes them to extract the sweet juice.

Making fresh sugar cane juice

There are all kinds of takeaway desserts for sale.

Takeaway desserts for sale at Hung Vuong

A man works quickly, covering containers of takeaway lunches with food wrap.

GLAD wrapping lunches for sale at Hung Vuong

Feel like a snack? There are boxes of sweet potato crisps and custard puffs ready to go.

Sweet potato crisps and custard puffs

All the sights and smells of food make us start to think about our own tummies. When we stumble upon this chap solemnly eating his lunch sitting next to a colourful wall of cookies and crackers, we know it’s definitely time to have something to eat.

Eating his lunch

Phu Quoc, Corner of John and Hill Street, Cabramatta

There are so many places to eat at in Cabramatta. Phu Quoc looks promising. The lunch crowd is in but we manage to get a table right away.

The most popular item appears to be make-your-own Vietnamese fresh rice paper rolls. Translucent circular sheets of rice paper, a bowl of water to soften the rice paper, vermicelli, meats of your choice and a basket of fresh salad and herbs including coriander and mint are delivered to your table ready for assembly. As good as it looks, I’m in the mood for rice and Juji wants egg noodles.

Phi Quoc Vietnamese and Chinese Cuisine, Cabramatta

Walking around on this warm humid day has made us thirsty again. The tall glasses icy-cold fresh orange juice and coconut juice go down a treat.

Fresh orange juice and coconut juice

I order broken rice with pork chop, shredded pork and fried egg (AU$10).

Broken rice with pork chop, shredded pork and fried egg (AU$10)

The fried pork chop is golden brown, on the greasy side but very tasty and tender. Shredded strands of pork skin are tossed in roasted rice powder, giving them a gritty texture.

Pork chop close-up – broken rice with pork chop, shredded pork and fried egg (AU$10)

Juji and Jay share egg noodles with crispy skin chicken (AU$10.50). The springy noodles are served topped with steamed greens and curls of fried shallots, accompanied by a bowl of hot broth and a big piece of fried chicken with crispy crackly skin.

Egg noodle with crispy skin chicken (dry) AU$10.50

Crispy skin chicken

Egg noodle with crispy skin chicken (dry) AU$10.50

It’s a great lunch – simple and satisfying.

Phi Quoc Vietnamese and Chinese Cuisine, Cabramatta

After lunch, we buy some banh kep, or pandan waffles, to take back with us for a snack later.

Banh kep – pandan waffles (AU$1.50 each)

Time for sugar cane juice!

Tan Hoan Cau – as seen on TV

We smile as we see the food-themed mural near Freedom Plaza. It features durian!

Food mural near Freedom Plaza, Cabramatta

We’ve enjoyed our visit to Cabramatta. It’s definitely worth checking out if you like Vietnamese cuisine or are interested in Vietnamese culture.

Girls out shopping in Cabramatta

Friendship Arch, Cabramatta

Getting to Cabramatta
1 hour train trip (approx) from Central Station – South Line.
See CityRail website for more train info.

Click for larger map

Sydney food blog Grab Your Fork has a post on a DIY food tour of Cabramatta. It’s a few years old now, but still a great place to get ideas for what to do in Cabramatta. There are more Cabramatta posts listed at the end of that post.

Australian readers – Once Upon a Time in Cabramatta
There’s a documentary series currently on SBS called Once Upon a Time in Cabramatta. It’s a three-part series, with the final showing on 22 January at 8.30pm on SBS ONE. It’s simulcast with Vietnamese subtitles on SBS TWO.

Watch a promo video of Once Upon a Time in Cabramatta:

If you missed the first two episodes, you can watch them online at SBS’ website. Do you recognise the Vietnamese man sitting on a milk crate at the front of a grocery shop in episode 2?

Read more about Once Upon a Time in Cabramatta at Sydney food blog Noodlies – author and Cabramatta resident Thang Ngo is featured in the documentary.

Luke Nguyen’s new TV series
For fans of Vietnamese chef and restaurateur Luke Nguyen – a new TV series, Luke’s Greater Mekong begins 23 February.

My Sydney trip (2011)

I went to Sydney with my sister Juji and her fiancé Jay in November 2011.
See the list of posts so far, in reading order. There’s still more to come.
Read Juji’s post – Things I love Thursday – Cabramatta edition

A skip away from terrace houses on Waterloo Street in Surry Hills and nestled in the impressive complex also featuring Orto Trading Co and El Capo is Izakaya Fujiyama, where you can sit in the dining room or at the bar, order a Japanese-style pub meal, share small dishes with your mates and enjoy Japanese beer or sake.

You can’t miss the Japanese elegance, styled in vibrant red and striking black, wood and steel, and the simple, exquisite presentation of dishes – but (largely thanks to the great staff who looked after us) it feels relaxed and welcoming.

Izakaya Fujiyama – empty when we arrive, full when we leave

The sake menu may overwhelm with all its choices – there are 85 different types of sake on offer – but the staff are happy to offer suggestions and spend a bit of time talking about sake with you.

The bar itself is a glorious sight, even for a non-drinker like me.

Izakaya Fujiyama – the bar

We’re here for dinner with one of my blogging idols, Helen of Grab Your Fork. I’ve been eager to catch up with her ever since the amazing Tetsuya masterclass and degustation we both attended back in March 2010.

Izakaya Fujiyama does not take bookings, so we agree to meet up early (5.45/6pm-ish) to beat the dinner crowd.

Helen asks us what we’ve got up to since arriving in Sydney and we all crack up at Juji’s, Jay’s and my inability to name anything that doesn’t involve food.

We’re all hungry (surprise!) and ready for a big feed. Everything sounds so good. We order a number of dishes to share, including the famous tuna jaw we’ve all heard about. Jay and Helen order sake.

Handwritten specials menu

We begin our meal with asazuke (AU$4.50), a small dish of pickled cabbage, cucumber and carrot. The vegetables are crisp, sweet and sour with a hint of heat from ginger and chilli.

Asazuke (AU$4.50)

We order the omakase (“the chef’s choice”) sashimi plate (AU$24.50). It is beautifully presented with freshly sliced raw salmon, mackerel, kingfish tuna, garnished finely grated daikon, fresh radish, lemon and wasabi.

Omakase sashimi plate (AU$24.50)

Salmon sashimi

At Izakaya Fujiyama, KFC stands for Kenji’s Fried Chicken (“Kenji” being chef-owner Kenji Maenaka) – succulent crunchy boneless chicken pieces served popping fresh from the deep-fryer, almost too hot to eat. We recklessly dive in with chopsticks and fingers anyway – it’s totally worth it. The moreishly seasoned batter is wonderfully knobbly and crunchy. A squeeze of lemon juice, a generous dip into the housemade Kewpie mayonnaise and we are all in heaven. It’s almost a pity I have to share!

Kenji’s fried chicken (AU$13.50)

We are all pork belly lovers and don’t hesitate to order the crispy pork belly with yuzu pepper (AU$24.50). Each chunky slice of pork is juicy and tender, mostly meat with a band of soft melting fat, topped with crispy crackling.

Crispy pork belly with yuzu pepper (AU$24.50)

Crispy pork belly with yuzu pepper (AU$24.50)

Crispy pork belly with yuzu pepper

The teriyaki beef kalbi (AU$28.50) or beef rib, is served on the bone Flintstones style, with a sticky sweet teriyaki stained exterior and a juicy tender pink interior. Someone will have the pleasure of sucking the rib bone – is that usually you?

Teriyaki beef kalbi (AU$28.50)

If you’re up for a bit of adventurous eating, don’t miss the tuna jaw if it’s available on the specials menu. Served on a wooden chopping board, it’s imposingly three-dimensional, poking out in various directions, looking terrifyingly inedible. But as you forage around the bones, fin and cartilage you’ll find lots of tasty surprises. It’s eating that feels like mining… in craggy prehistoric caverns. And when you’re done, your hands and face covered in tuna juice, what you leave behind looks even more hideous!

Tuna jaw (AU$38)

We work industriously with fork, spoon and chopsticks to extract every last bit of meat from this behemoth. Some of the meat is light, some dark, some lean, some fatty, but it’s all full of flavour. It’s messy work and you need determination and patience. This must’ve been a mighty big fish.

The tuna jaw (AU$38)

The jaw is served simply with sliced lemon, grated daikon and bowls of soy sauce. Helen discovers to her delight that you can snap the tips off the fins and eat them like chips. There are meaty bits and mysterious gelatinous bits. Between us, we devour it all.

Good on you, Izakaya Fujiyama, for creating a wonderful eating experience from a part of the fish usually destined for the stock pot or rubbish bin.

Tuna jaw (AU$38) – reverse angle

Carving up the tuna jaw

Eventually we lean back in our seats, satisfied there is no more meat to be found in the jaw. Like a band of intrepid adventurers, we’re grimy after our travels. It’s time to clean ourselves up with the moist towelettes provided.

By the end of the meal we’re struggling to finish the last pieces of beef, but our sweet stomachs have room for a shared dessert of Fujiyama jaffa, featuring frozen chocolate cake, yoghurt ice cream and chocolate “Yogo“, served with gleaming blobs of cumquat sauce and scattered with popcorn. It’s a dish of contrasting and enjoyable textures and tastes.

Fujiyama jaffa (AU$13.50)

It’s been a fantastic meal. Long after the meal is over, I still think about the tuna jaw. What about you – would you take on the tuna jaw? (Even better – if you’ve tried it, I’d love to know what you thought of it!)

Juji’s tea

Who knows… maybe next time, the tuna head!

Izakaya Fujiyama, Surry Hills – the place is empty when we arrive, full when we leave

Izakaya Fujiyama
Open Monday to Saturday for dinner 6.00pm until late
Bookings are not taken at Izakaya Fujiyama.

Click for larger map

My Sydney trip (2011)

I went to Sydney with my sister Juji and her fiancé Jay in November 2011. See the list of posts so far, in reading order. There’s still more to come.

See the others’ posts on Izakaya Fujiyama:

• Juji’s post at Juji Chews
• Helen’s post at Grab Your Fork

Follow the aromas of charcoal smoke and garlic down a laneway off Pitt Street between Liverpool and Central Streets, past the walls adorned with graffiti art, and join the dinner queue for Korean BBQ at Sydney Madang.

Waiting for a table at Sydney Madang

Every day of our holiday so far, we’ve passed the yellow, black and white Sydney Madang sign as we walk up and down Pitt Street, but it’s Chef Josh of Cafe Ish who convinces us it’s worth venturing down the dark laneway. There, Juji, Jay and I find a small crowd patiently waiting to be admitted inside, some standing, others sitting on stools. Despite its tucked away location, it’s abundantly clear that Sydney Madang is no secret to Sydney locals. We’ve been warned: if you arrive after 6.30pm, be prepared to join the queue.

After a wait of about 20 minutes, we follow a staff member into the busy restaurant, weaving our way to our allocated table in the corner next to the kitchen. All around us is conversation, laughter and the click-clack of chopsticks. The air is thick with mouth-watering smells and the sounds of sizzling barbecue.

Sydney Madang – inside

We place our order and a staff member lights our barbecue, which runs on gas with added charcoal for fragrance and flavour. Once the blue flame has been lit, a clean hotplate is placed on top.

Lighting the Korean BBQ

Jay orders a bottle of soju and we all admire the Elvis-esque (or is it Rick Astley-esque?) Korean singer pictured on the label.

Jinro Chamisul Soju (AU$15)

Our plates of marinated barbecue meats arrive, followed by hot steamed rice (AU$2 per bowl) and complimentary banchan (side dishes).

Korean BBQ meats and banchan

Beef bulgogi ready for cooking

We are given a pair of tongs to cook with, and a pair of scissors which we use to chop up the beef ribs. The tongs and scissors are delivered in a basket filled with lettuce, carrot and whole garlic cloves.

Salad, scissors, tongs

The banchan includes mung bean sprouts, kimchee, a salty bean paste, garlic oil, spring onion, boiled chunks of marinated potato, cold mashed potato salad and crisp garden salad (lettuce, carrot and capsicum).

Banchan (side dishes)

We waste no time in loading up our hotplate with the thin ribbons of marinated meat and whole garlic cloves. The smells are dangerously enticing. I can’t resist leaning close for a good look and sniff – well, I shouldn’t be surprised to discover (the hard way) that the barbecue spits.

Cooking the Korean BBQ

We all take turns with the tongs. It’s fun but also torture waiting hungrily for the meats to cook right under my nose. Patience is a virtue, but I am neither patient nor virtuous.

The meats are almost cooked

Chopping up the beef ribs

Digging into the banchan

We share a serving of doenjang jjigae, a soybean-based stew, which arrives molten hot in a black pot. We leave it to cool down while we tend to the barbecue.

Doenjang jjigae (soybean stew)

When the bubbling has subsided, we are delighted to discover a hearty broth with soft white chunks of silken tofu, potato, thinly sliced zucchini, fresh green chillies and pieces of tender slow cooked beef. It’s not as fiery in taste as its initial appearance suggests, but there’s a gentle heat in every savoury mouthful.

Doenjang jjigae (soybean stew)

The staff are ever watchful for dirty hotplates that smoke too much from the remnants of charred marinades – they are quick to replace them throughout the meal. As soon as our latest grill plate gets smoking hot, we load it up with more meat. This process repeats until we have cooked and eaten all the meat.

More meat on the Korean BBQ

Korean barbecue is a great choice for group dining. The shared enjoyment from cooking your own dinner at the table makes for a fun meal. We leave Sydney Madang happy and satisfied, the smells of barbecue and garlic clinging to our clothes and hair.

Korean BBQ is an excellent choice for group dining

Are you a Korean barbecue fan? What are your favourite dishes to order?

Graffiti art and empty stools outside Sydney Madang – everyone’s inside eating!

Click for larger map

My Sydney trip (2011)

I went to Sydney with my sister Juji and her fiancé Jay in November 2011. See the list of posts so far, in reading order. There’s a whole lot more to come.

See Juji’s blog post: Sydney Madang, Sydney CBD