Bills - Surry Hills - Sydney, Australia

Owned by celebrity chef Bill Granger, Bills has been on the top of my to go to places for a long time.  I've heard rave reviews about the fluffy ricotta pancakes. With my friend from Brisbane in town for the weekend it was a good chance to try out the cafe as she had a craving for pancakes. This is coming from someone who can eat chocolate and anything sweet all day long.

She never fails to bring the rain with her when she comes to Sydney. Every time she visits it rains heavily regardless of whether it is Summer or Winter. We always make a joke about it and this time was no exception.

It was a cold, wet and windy morning. We started at Central Station and walked up the steep hills of Surry Hills with our umbrellas held up high to combat the rain coming from all directions. Finally we reached our destination on Crown Street.

It was buzzing with patrons and thankfully we managed to grab a table straightaway, albeit the last non-sharing table. Its modern, warm and very relaxed inside.

We started off with the essential coffees to kick start the day.  Brewed with beans from Single Origin Roasters, the 'Latte ($4.10)' and 'Cappuccino($4.10)' were robust and smooth without the bitterness.

There are a number of items to choose from their breakfast menu, from the basic toasts and spreads to the more elaborate dishes such as the crisp fried rice. We chose to share two of their classic items.

The highly anticipated 'Ricotta Hotcakes ($22.00)' arrived looking amazingly thick and fluffy with a blob of honeycomb butter and a side of maple syrup. Generous slices of banana are hidden beneath the three hotcakes. Where out thou more butter? The butter to pancake ratio was lacking. There just wasn't enough for us butter lovers.

The inside of the hotcakes had hidden chunks of ricotta giving it a light and airy texture. Delicious and tasty hotcakes that weren't dense and had the right sweetness level.

The 'Corn Fritters ($23.00)' is another one of their signature dishes. An abundance of sweet and juicy corn kernels combined together in a light batter, is served with roast tomatoes, spinach and crispy bacon. We also added 'Avocado Salsa ($4.00)' which I would definitely recommend as the fritters could be dry on its own.

The service is attentive and prompt. Prices are on the expensive side for these simple dishes but they don't compromise on the quality of their ingredients. Breakfast is served till midday.

Where?
359 Crown St
Surry Hills NSW 2010
Australia

Phone no: 02 9360 4762

Opening Hours
Monday - Friday: 7am - 10pm
Saturday - Sunday: 7am - 10pm

Website
www.bills.com.au

Berry Sourdough Cafe - Berry - South Coast, Australia

The weather today was perfect for a day trip to the small town of Berry, located in the South Coast of NSW, an hour and a half drive from Sutherland. My best friends and I have wanted to go for some time now but have had to cancel due to the wet weather previously. I went on a family trip many years ago and really enjoyed the time there. It's nice going out of Sydney once in a while to just relax and unwind.

There a number of cafes and restaurants in Berry with good reviews to choose from. Our cafe of choice was the Berry Sourdough Cafe. We actually planned to have brunch there after perusing their menu online, only to have missed it by 20 minutes, leaving us a bit disappointed. Shy 10 minutes of 12pm, we waited for lunch service to start.

A lovely and cosy standalone cafe with a bakery in house, they pride themselves on using local produce and that's definitely something I highly regard. Support local business!

The pastries and breads on display looked delicious. If only we had more stomach space we would have had desserts too. We were saving ourselves for the cinnamon doughnuts from the famous Berry Doughnut van for later.

I guess it was a calling. Initially, I was going to order the chicken dish below, but changed my mind last minute. The 'Rigatoni ($20.00)' with Spanish pork sausage, roast fennel and sofrito was all sorts of amazing. On initial bite of the al dente pasta, the tomato based sauce was exploding with flavour from the aromatic ingredients used. I ate every last bit on the plate. Superb! It comes with dollops of mascarpone but I asked for it to be excluded.

From their specials board, The 'Roasted Chicken Maryland ($24.00)' is a simple and hearty home-style dish. The chicken was well seasoned and the chicken meat was moist. The side of kipfler potatoes, and the apple and cabbage is a refreshing accompaniment.

'Matcha Latte ($4.00)' is a surprising item on the menu. We didn't expect to see it in Berry. It had a decent amount of matcha powder in it and I really enjoyed the frothiness. Unfortunately the cinnamon powder on the top gave it a strange taste, more like a chai latte.

The 'Cappucino ($4.00)' here is a good cup of coffee. The beans are strong and punchy without giving the bitter aftertaste.

Service was great, the staff were really friendly and attentive. Most importantly, the food was excellent and the freshness of the ingredients used showed in their dishes . What more could one ask for?

*Credits to my best friend Anny for her sign photo. Do visit her blog at http://anythingandsomethings.blogspot.com.au/. It's an interesting read on her life and previous work secondments to Amsterdam and San Francisco.

Where?
23 Prince Alfred St
Berry NSW 2535
Australia

Phone no: 02 4464 1617

Opening Hours
Breakfast
Wednesday to Sunday: 8:00am - 11:30am
Lunch
Wednesday to Sunday: 12:00pm - 3:00pm

Website
www.berrysourdoughcafe.com.au

Singapore, Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and Cantho

Singapore, Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and Cantho

I'm back from the short holiday overseas! It was a fun trip filled with lots of eating and now I'm awfully tired and restless, having just returned last Sunday on a morning flight and then returning back to work the next day. I do miss the heat as the start of Spring here has been too cold.

I love being in Singapore and will never get enough of it. I truly wish I could work and live there one day as everything about the country is great and the reasons have been mentioned in one of my previous posts. There is always something new to see or try. The thing that brings me back time and time again is the food. Cheap and delicious.

A must see attraction in Singapore is 'Gardens by the Bay'. It's the most beautiful garden I've ever seen in my entire life and the sheer size of it is mind boggling. Huge! This was my second time there and I still enjoyed it as much as the first time around. Entry (SGD 28.00) for an adult includes access to two conservatories, the 'Flower Dome' and 'Cloud Forest'.

They occasionally change the themes and we were lucky to see the Orchid Extravaganza floral display. Just beautiful.

A one and an half hour flight from Singapore takes us to Ho Chi Minh City in South Vietnam.

Some regions in South Vietnam have changed drastically whereas some areas haven't really changed much at all. The last time I went to Vietnam was in 2002 which is a long time. The country is well known for its cheap food. In comparison to the prices in Australia, it is much lower but I wouldn't say it's extremely cheap. The prices have gone up but that is expected in a rapidly growing country. You're pretty much paying similar prices to what you would pay for hawker food in Singapore.

Crossing the streets in Saigon can be quite stressful. Motorbikes and cars are everywhere and going from one side to the other can be a daunting experience given that people do not follow road rules and traffic signals. Motorbikes weave through other bikes and cars which makes sitting in the car quite a nervous experience. One tip that was passed on from my friend is that it is best to go as a group or follow others when crossing and that indeed was helpful. This photo was taken in the early morning, hence the lack of cars and motorbikes.

One must visit attraction in Ho Chi Minh City is the 'Saigon Skydeck' or otherwise also known as the 'Bitexco Financial Tower'. First opening to visitors in 2011, this building stands 262 metres tall and gives a 360 degree view of the city.

It towers over ever building in Ho Chi Minh City and the view from the top is breathtaking. A ticket for an adult is VND 200,000 which equates to about AUD $10.00. For that price, I recommend you take time to visit this tower as it looks so different from the top. Entry permits you to the observation deck on the 49th floor.

We started the trip in Saigon and stayed there for one night before departing for Cantho. Cantho is the largest city in the Mekong Delta and is approximately a three and an half hour bus ride from Saigon.

The best way to get to the suburbs is via the mini bus or coach services on offer as it's one of the safer and cheaper modes of transportation. Prices will vary depending on where you go but it cost us VND 130,000 which equates to about AUD$6.50 for a trip from Saigon to Cantho. There are currently two companies which I've been told are reliable including Thanh Buoi and Phuong Trang. It was definitely money well spent as the ride was smooth and hassle free.

The reason as to why we went to Cantho is my mum was originally born there. We still have relatives living there so we took this opportunity to visit them, having not seen them in person for over 12 years.

One thing that I noticed that was different from before is the presence of a supermarket. Most people prefer to shop at the supermarket as there is more variety and as my cousin said, you have  the freedom to look at products and walk around freely. This has left the street stalls quieter as less people are buying, which is concerning given families depend on this source of income to survive.

One drink that I had every day whilst staying in Cantho was the 'Vietnamese Iced Coffee - Ca Phe Da (VND 10,000)'. So refreshing and cheap. Their coffee is filtered through a special type of filter which uses a dripping process to extract the coffee from the grinded coffee. It's a slow process and takes longer than an espresso machine but the flavour is absolutely brilliant. It's strong and will wake you up or keep you awake. Do give it a try when you get the chance to.  This type of coffee can be found in Vietnamese grocery stores or cafes located in Bankstown, Cabramatta and Marrickville.

Restaurant food posts with names and addresses to follow shortly.

Gardens by the Bay
18 Marina Gardens Dr
Singapore 018953
Singapore

Website: http://www.gardensbythebay.com.sg/en/home.html

Saigon Skydeck
No.2 Hai Trieu Street
Ben Nghe Ward
Ho Chi Minh City
Vietnam

 Website: http://saigonskydeck.com/

Allpress Espresso Cafe - Rosebery - Sydney, Australia

Allpress Espresso Cafe 

Allpress grinds their coffee beans on site and serves their coffee fresh to the customer. They sure make a mean coffee but be prepared to wait during morning hour rush. Their iced coffees are just beyond any normal ice coffee.

I'm not sure if they bake their pastries/cakes/scrolls on site or outsource but some of them are sure deliciously good.

The 'Cinnamon Scrolls' are pricey at $5.50 but they are absolutely delicious. Moist and full of flavour.

The 'Friands' are a great afternoon tea cake. Nice and moist.

The 'Maple Pastry ($5.00)' is overly sweet and drenched with maple syrup but is crunchy and buttery like how a pastry should be.

This 'Pastry ($2.00)' was a special they had on the day and again it had a hint maple syrup in it but wasn't as overwhelming as the other one. Think they charged me the wrong price on this one.

Where?
58 Epsom Rd
Rosebery NSW 2018
Australia

Phone no: 02 9662 8288

Opening Hours
Monday - Friday
7am-3pm
Saturday

Website
http://au.allpressespresso.com/
 

 

Allpress Espresso Cafe - Rosebery - Sydney, Australia.

Allpress Espresso Cafe

It's a brand synonymous with good coffee. Located within the industrial area of Zetland is this little cafe and the warehouse behind the cafe is where the coffee beans are roasted, grounded and then delivered to its customers.

The queues for the morning coffee here are way too long and I have waited 15 minutes once for a small cup of coffee. Given that I don't like waiting very long, I prefer to come here during lunch time as the waiting time is much less. I think they need another coffee machine to meet demand as there is only one machine available.

I'm craving for soup on this day but unfortunately it isn't available. The menu is limited to different kinds of sandwiches.

I have the 'Roast Pork Sandwich with Watercress ($8.50)' which is nice and crispy on the outside but it is cold on the inside. It's a nice sandwich but it would have been good if they grilled it for longer.

My friend has the 'Roast Beef Sandwich ($8.50)'. He says even though its nice, it's way too small for him and not filling.

Service isn't the best at times and staff may appear rude but the fast and efficient service makes up for it.

Where?
58 Epsom Rd
Rosebery NSW 2018
Australia

Phone no: 02 9662 8288

Opening Hours
Monday - Friday
7am-3pm
Saturday

Website
http://au.allpressespresso.com/