Nan Tien Temple - Berkeley - Wollongong, Australia.

Nan Tien Temple

The weather couldn't be any better two Sunday's back. There were no clouds in sight and the hot sun was rising early in the morning. As the year is nearly ending, we decided it was time to visit Nan Tien Temple. Can you believe it? Christmas is less than a month away.

A stopover at Kiama, a place I haven't been to in over ten years. Everything looked the same except that the blow hole was dry possibly due to the heat. The water was crystal blue. If only we could have a picnic there.

After praying, off to lunch we go. Lunch is served daily except Mondays from 11:30am till 2:00pm in the Dining Hall.As it's a Chinese temple, no meat is served and only vegetarian dishes are on offer. They have two choices, either the 'Rice with Three Choices' or 'Noodles with Two Choices' at $12.00 a meal which comes with two pieces of fruit. Please note that menu selections change daily.

The food is healthy and fresh with minimal oil used. I like the flavour combinations and would say that this type of vegetarian food would be my absolute favourite.

The drive home barely takes 45 minutes and a worthwhile day it was.

Where?
180 Berkeley Road
Berkeley NSW 2506
Australia

Opening Hours
Tuesday - Sunday
9am - 5pm
Closed Mondays

Websitehttp://www.nantien.org.au

Bourke St Bakery - Alexandria - Sydney, Australia

Bourke St Bakery

The name says it all. The ultra famous bakery with those picturesque items in its famous recipe book.

'Tomato and Cheese Croissant ($4.50)'. One word 'Delicious'. Buttery, crumbly and so unhealthy.

'Ham and Cheese Croissant ($5.00)' is nice and generously filled with ham but I still prefer the tomato and cheese.

'Ginger and Crème Brûlée Tart ($5.00)' is not to sweet and perfect in balance. The pastry is thin and the crème is smooth.

The Cappuccino ($3.30) with one sugar was a bit sweeter than usual but the coffee flavour was good.

Where?
474 Gardeners Road
Alexandria NSW 2015
Australia

Phone no: 02 8339 1001

Opening Hours
7 Days
7am - 4pm

Website
http://www.bourkestreetbakery.com.au/

 

Cabra-Vale Diggers - Canley Vale - Sydney, Australia

Cabra-Vale Diggers

The club has had the $9.90 steak special for a very long time. I use to come once every week, either  on the monday, tuesday or saturday when I lived back in the west. You have a choice of a t-bone or rump steak served with chips or mash and salad or vegetables. This is great value considering that the steak is a good cut, cooked to perfection with a fresh salad and gravy prepared daily.

The place is HACCP certified and food preparation is extremely clean and strict on quality control. A plus is everything is served on the side without asking! A rarity.

Be prepared to wait up to half an hour for steaks during peak times.

Where?
1 Bartley St
Canley Vale NSW 2166
Australia

Phone no: 02 9727 3600

Opening hours
Lunch 12pm - 2pm
Dinner 5:30pm - 8:00pm

Website
http://www.cabravale.com
 

Tan Viet Noodle House - Canley Heights - Sydney, Australia

Tan Viet Noodle House

The is the sister restaurant of the ever so popular Tan Viet on John St in Cabramatta. It opened not too long ago taking over the Thai restaurant that wasn't doing too well due to stiff competition from Holy Basil down the road.

The restaurant is much smaller in size but it serves the same items and everything is pretty much similar. I've posted about the branch in Cabramatta not too long ago. http://ilovemyfoodlots.blogspot.com.au/2012/06/tan-viet-noodle-house-cabramatta-sydney.html

However, I find the chicken to be crispier and the soup more hotter which are definitely positives in my book. The price hasn't changed for their signature 'Crispy Skin Chicken with Egg Noodles ($12.00)'.

The queues are pretty long during peak hour but there is a high turnover so waiting times are minimal.

Where?
Tan Viet Noodle House Canley Heights
Shop 3, 219 Canley Vale Rd
Canley Heights NSW 2166

Phone no: 02 9723 4452

Opening Hours
9am - 7pm

Website
NA

Stars (Out of Five)
***1/2

Chocolateria San Churro - Miranda - Sydney, Australia

Chocolateria San Churro

 

It is now Spring but feels like Winter all over again. The weather now days is so unpredicatable and I have yet to pack away my jackets. Today is a gloomy that has had no ray of sunshine with sprinkles of rain throughout the day.

San Churro is a great place to hide away from this hideous weather. I'm here for an afternoon coffee time. It's fairly quite given that dinner time is not too long away.

Pages and pages of decadent desserts and drinks.

The 'Cappuccino ($3.60)' is a great blend of fair trade organic coffee and mellow taste topped with shards of dark chocolate. The coffee is well made and I nearly burn my tongue. A complimentary piece of chocolate accompanies the coffee but I accidentally dropped it onto the ground and it rolled away.

We share a plate of 'Churros for One ($8.95)' which consists of three churros and a dipping chocolate. I opt for the white chocolate dip. The churros are fried to a golden perfection and coated with a cinnamon dusting but I find that I still prefer the churros from Costco. The dip isn't too sweet and goes well with the churros.

Where?
Shop G107 - Ground Level, Westfield Miranda
600 Kingsway
Miranda, New South Wales
Australia 2228

Phone no: 02 9531 5892

Opening Hours
Mon-Thu 9am-9:30pm
Fri-Sat 9am-10:30pm
Sun 10am-9:30pm

Website
http://www.sanchurro.com/

Arisun - Haymarket, Chinatown - Sydney, Australia

Arisun

 

My previous visit here was not a very pleasant one. The restaurant was full and the only table available was outside with the smokers (I have nothing against smokers but when your trying to eat or talk with a cloud of smoke coming towards you, it's not good at all). We were a table of 3 and given a 2 seater table situated below the Monorail which made it a rather noisy and squishy experience. The food was not that great except for the fried chicken as I couldn't see the food most of the time due to the dim lighting outside.

It was A's belated birthday and she was craving Korean noodles. This called for another visit to Arisun. We arrived at around 7pm on a Saturday night and there were still quite a number of tables left. We were a table of 3 and given a 4 seater table this time around inside away from the smokers. More space for our food and ourselves. I could see all the food clearly and knew what was in it. Everything looked and tasted better this time.

I don't recall the names of the dishes or prices so excuse my lack of info but enjoy the pictures.

Complimentary 'Kim chi' was refreshing and tasty.

'Black bean noodles is not for those difficult eaters. It has a unique taste that may not be liked by all but good to give it a try. One of the most authentic in Sydney.

'Bibimbap' is a signature Korean dish that is very popular which is basically mixed rice. It comes in a hot stone pot. I found it rather plain.

My absolute favourite chicken. It is fried to a golden perfection. Ahhhh looking at this picture is making me drool. A must get if you go here. I would come here just for the fried chicken.

Picked cabbage and salt and pepper to go with the chicken.

'Beef Dumpling Hotpot' is huge. It has a lot of beef, glass noodles and green dumplings in stock. It's not a bad combination but think I'll stick to the more traditional one next time around.

A great place for get together with friends over a nice meal.

Where?
1 Dixon St
Haymarket NSW 2000
Australia

Phone no: 02 9264 1588

Opening Hours
TBA

Website
NA

Azuma - Chifley Square - Sydney, Australia.

Azuma Sugar Hit 2012

For many years, I have heard a lot and read a lot about the Sugar Hit's held around Sydney but have never had the chance to go to one. That was until now, when we were celebrating A's birthday a month later due to exams. This was the perfect time to go to a Sugar Hit as the first day of October marks the beginning of the Sydney International Food Festival. All Sugar Hit's are a measly $20 including a glass of wine between the hours of 9pm-11pm for the month of October.

After trying to limit our dinner, we always manage to over order not matter how much we try. We walk it off by walking for Chinatown to Martin Place in search of the Sugar Hit at Chifley Plaza.

Even though I called ahead to ask if a booking was necessary, the waiter insisted that this was not necessary. Upon turning up, we were told the place was full due to bookings for dinner and the only option was to wait for a long time or sit in the food court outside. Not the best atmosphere I say and I found it a bit odd at first since there were no others there but after people started coming, it wasn't too bad.

The menu on offer from Azuma consisted of the following:

East meets West - Dessert Bento Box

'Kawaii Panna Cotta' which is Japanese style panna cotta made from soy  and cow’s milk with brown sugar jelly, seasonal fruit Face with buckwheat soba noodle hairstyle.

'Home-made Yuzu Sorbet' with popping sparkles.

'Chocolate Gateaux' cake with fresh cream and seasonal fruits.

Marble Gateaux Cookies are homemade chocolate and vanilla marbled Gateaux cookies

'Sake Sample'
A sample of either Yuzu Nigori Sake, Nigori Sake or sweet Plum Wine
Served with your choice of a glass of –
Azuma’s Special Blend Japanese Green Tea
OR
Brown Brothers Cienna Rosso
A full sparkling wine which boasts a vibrant magenta red colour & a bubble that almost jumps out of the glass. Fresh raspberries and strawberries dominate the nose along with a distinct leafy note hinting at Cienna’s Cabernet parentage. It has a creamy palate with plenty of natural acidity and juicy flavours reminiscent of summer berries in a glass.

I thoroughly enjoyed all the desserts on offer except for the wine. I'm not a wine drinker and found it to be a bit too strong and struggled to finish it. However, the 'Yuzu Nigori Sake' was easy on the palate and went well with the chocolate brownie. Definitely a must have before the end of this month which is a few days away!

Where?
Chifley Plaza, Level 1, Chifley Square
Corner Phillip and Hunter St
Sydney Australia

Phone no: 02 9222 9960

Opening Hours
9pm-11pm till the end of October

Website
www.azuma.com.au