Hai Yen Noodle House - Bankstown - Sydney , Australia

Hai Yen Noodle House

We've walked past here many times, never going in, thinking that it was just a typical Cantonese BBQ restaurant with roast meats displayed across the store front. Plus, they had noodles within their name, so we assumed, they specialised in noodles with BBQ meats, which never seemed to quite appeal to us. Until one certain day I saw people queuing up for a table and then the  following week it was the same, so it was at that point I thought to myself there must be something good about it.

There was a few papers plastered outside on their walls, they have been mentioned on a few guides such as 'The SMH Good Food Under $30' guide. We joined the queue and after a few minute of waiting, we were in.

The lady at the front was continuously busy chopping BBQ chicken, roast duck and BBQ pork. It made me hungry just staring in.

A casual and family friendly restaurant that was bustling with locals and families. It is very clean environment and service is pretty decent.

The menu is extensive. There is a lot to choose from, namely dishes you would expect in a Chinese / Vietnamese restaurant. Most customers appeared to be having either roast meats with rice or combination stir-fried noodles.

The 'Roast Duck with Steamed Rice ($9.50)' was delicious. It came with a side of pickled vegetables and soup. They were very generous with their soya sauce and this was definitely a plus from me. The roast duck was plump and juicy, bursting with flavour. I definitely recommended this dish. A simple looking dish that is a winner.

The 'Roast Pork with Fried Rice ($9.50)' was also very good but it didn't fare against the roast duck. Unfortunately, we got the very fatty pork part of the pig and ended up with more fat bits than meat, which left us wanting more crispy pork skin. The fried rice was a popular option amongst the diners here, but I much preferred the steamed rice.

I'm glad we went and gave it a try as now we have another restaurant to go to in Bankstown when we're craving for noodles or roast meats.

Where?
61 Bankstown City Plaza
Bankstown NSW 2220
Australia

Phone no. 02 9790 1608

Opening Hours
Open 7 Days a Week
10am - 6pm

Website
NA

Ryo's Noodles - Crows Nest - Sydney, Australia

Ryo's Noodles

It has taken many years to get here and after three trips, I have finally made it to Ryo's Noodles. On the first instance, we drove around in circles, mind you, it was pitch black at night, and failed to find Ryo's due to the lack of signage. Fast forward a few years, we go back once again, and to our dismay it's closed for the holiday season. Just my luck. On this third occasion, we caught public transport there, Miss Booklover insisting we catch the train, unfortunately, it had some problems resulting in delays. Fret not, we end up catching the M20 bus straight to Crows Nest despite some initial hiccups, and after a few minutes of walking we finally arrive at an opened Ryo's Noodles!

 

My anticipation and expectations in the lead up to this has gone beyond any other restaurant I've ever wanted to go to, having read so many positive reviews and hearing so many great things about the ramen here. Miss Booklover had previously come here once, raving about how delicious it was and how she absolutely loved the ramen here.

 

 

Upon walking in, I noticed how quiet the place was. Not in terms of the amount of people but the noise of the place. It actually felt a bit awkward talking cause I felt as though everyone could hear what we were saying. The restaurant became full after we got there which was around the 6pm mark, and as we left there was only one group of three waiting. I guess we were lucky that day as I hear queues can go metres long.

 

 

The interior reminded me of a quintessential, no-frills, Japanese kind of place that serves authentic food, fuss free. Minimal décor with it's Japanese menu scattered throughout the walls and a number of wooden tables. I hear the place only seats approximately 20 people.

 

The 'Tonkatsu Ramen (Pork Soup) - Spicy ($13.50)' is our preferred ramen. It is a ramen in spicy hot flavoured soup with roast pork, a full egg and shallots. The stock is relatively thick but not as thick as the one at Gumshara. I like how it is packed with flavour and hits the spot. They are generous with their fatty and melt in your mouth pork slices. I find the noodles a bit too soft for my liking. It isn't 'al dente' as I like my egg noodles, as its missing that chew and bite factor. If you don't like bean sprouts in your ramen, then you will definitely like this ramen.

The 'Gyozas ($7.00)' come as five pan fried dumplings with pork and cabbage I believe. It was fried to perfection and was still sweet and juicy. It tasted excellent with soya sauce.

I was so full after downing a whole bowl of ramen and 4 gyozas. Greedy me. Miss Booklover had trouble finishing her ramen so she insisted I eat more of the gyozas, given her small appetite.

She also ordered a 'Grape Fanta ($3.50)' which I haven't seen sold anywhere else, but I hear it is available in Asian supermarkets. I didn't try it myself but she says it tastes like cough medicine. Didn't sound appealing to me.

 

I personally wouldn't say it is the best ramen in Sydney as I've had better. It was good but not great. Even though many have exclaimed it is the best ramen they have ever tasted, I did not find the wow factor about it. I guess everyone has different preferences as to how they like their ramen. Miss Booklover likes it so much she even said we should go once a month. A bit far and inconvenient to get to though. I would like to try some other items and I know I will be definitely be back in the near future.

Where?
125 Falcon St
Crowns Nest NSW 2065
Australia

Phone no. 02 9955 0225

Opening Hours
Open Everyday Except Wednesday
Lunch - 12:00pm - 2:00pm
Dinner - 5:00pm - 9:00pm

Website
NA
 

Se Jong Korean BBQ Buffet - Campise- Sydney, Australia.

Se Jong Korean BBQ Buffet

 

After reading numerous reviews online about Se Jong Korea BBQ Buffet located in Campsie, we decided to give it a try. There were mixed reviews online, a number of good reviews and also a number of bad ones. We weren’t expecting much on our visit there, thinking that if the BBQ was similar to Charcoal Mine BBQ House in Parramatta, we would be happy, as the buffet there was decent back when we had it years ago. Not much of a comparison but it was the last Korean BBQ I went to.

 

 

 It is situated on the street off the main shopping street of Campsie, tucked in between residential blocks.

 

 

 

Upon walking in, we noticed that it was very modern looking, most likely of have had a refurbishment not too long ago. We made a booking a few days ahead to avoid waiting and it turned out to be a full house on that night. We walked up to the counter and were directed to our table immediately. The staff there are friendly, even though their English is limited. 

 

Previously, it was $30 per adult but they seemed to have upped their prices recently, given the busy nature of the place. From Monday to Thursday it is $30 per adult for dinner, while from Friday to Sunday it is $32 per adult. Actually good value if you do eat a lot of meat. Lunch is much cheaper but it appears you don’t get the BBQ option.

 

Plenty of choices are available from pre-cooked to raw foods. They aren’t skimpy on their meats and it is out in its full glory and topped up regularly.
 

 

A few Korean stir-fry dishes are available such as 'Sweet and Sour Chicken' and 'Mayonnaise Prawns'. They even have sushi!

 

 

 

 

There is seafood such as prawns, calamari and mussels. Meat wise there is a whole assortment to choose from such as chicken and its associated bits, beef and beef. Most people seem to head straight for the Wagyu beef or the pork belly. Both equally good but my preference is the crispy pork belly. It's so delicious wrapped up in lettuce leaves with the addition of chilli sauce and garlic. Nom nom.

 

 

 

They also got plenty of side and salad options.
 

 

 

 

The raw foods are cooked using the charcoal grill put on each table. My only complaint was that it was slow at the beginning but the manager seemed to have noticed and upped the temperature.

 

 

 

For dessert, there is Vanilla ice-cream and fruit. They also served a sweet Korean drink which I found the flavours odd as I've never tried it before.

Overall, we loved it there. Not only was there variety, the food was superb and the atmosphere was great. I prefer noisy places over quite places. I would definitely recommend this place for those meat lovers out there. It was well worth the money given the freshness of the food. It is fully licensed and BYO (wine only), which is available at a cost of $4 corkage per bottle.
 

Where?

Shop 1, 8 London St,

Campsie NSW 2194

Australia

 

Phone no. 02 9787 7126

 

Opening Hours

NA

 

Website

NA