Hu Tieu Thanh Van - Bankstown - Sydney, Australia

Hu Tieu Thanh Van

 

We actually wanted to go Hai Yen Noodle House to have their duck rice again, as previously posted, but they were closed for the holiday season for a whole month!

I actually wrote up a post about Hu Tieu Thanh Van many months ago but never got the chance to post it as my pictures turned out awfully blurry. This time around my photos are much clearer, thankfully.

I tend to have cravings for Vietnamese clear rice noodle soup. There is just something about it that makes you feel better after eating it. A form of comfort food. They specialise in the Vietnamese clear glass noodle soup, as 'Hu Tieu' means rice noodles in Vietnamese. It has a slight bite and chew to it unlike the actual rice noodles we're accustomed to.

It's quite an old, hole in the wall, no-frills, Vietnamese restaurant which seems to have been opened for a long time.

 

They have a reasonable selection of dishes on offer. The menu is scatted on the walls throughout the restaurant that is in both in English and Vietnamese.

 

 

The 'Hu Tieu Dai Thap Cam (Combination Clear Rice Noodle Soup) ($12.00)' is their signature dish and can be eaten either dry or with soup. We opt for the one with the soup. I love the addition of the fried prawn on top. I've always wanted to know how to make it but can't seem to find the recipe. The stock is well balanced and full of flavour. There is a prawn, some liver, actually too much, and some pork slices topped with fried pork fat and garlic chives. This is then eaten with the addition of fresh beansprouts. Yes, it may not for the faint hearted.

This time around, it tasted better. I think the addition of fried bits of pork fat and the increase in the temperature of the soup made it taste pretty good. I will definitely be back. Be sure to ask for that extra fried pork fat if they don't ask! It just doesn't taste the same without it.

Where?
327 Chapel Rd
Bankstown NSW 2200
Australia

Opening Hours
NA

Website
NA
 

Kuroneko Ramen Noodle Bar - Sutherland - Sydney, Australia.

Kuroneko Ramen Noodle Bar

A ramen restaurant in the Sutherland Shire???

I was shocked when I randomly searched Google and stumbled upon a post by Sara from the Bellyrumbles about a new / not so new now, Japanese restaurant in Sutherland. Just a few minutes' drive from my place and even within walking distance! I was in utter delight, as I can now have decent ramen without having to cross Tom Ugly's bridge to go to Hurstville.

I go to Sutherland on a regular basis to catch my train to work but I never noticed this place as it is not in the central shopping area, but rather located towards the new apartment blocks, a turn off from Princess Highway.

 

 

We end up at Kuroneko Ramen Noodle Bar on a Sunday afternoon and it isn't overly busy, but there is a constant flow of customers coming in to dine and take-away. The friendly waiter greets us as we enter and there are two ladies working in the kitchen, possibly, a family owned business. The interior is beautifully decorated and feels rather peaceful with the dim lighting and wallpaper filled with Japanese art.

 

 

Their menu is posted up on their Facebook page but a few pages have been updated recently such as the Donburi (Rice bowl) page, where prices seem to have gone up by $4 dollars from their price advertised online which was $8, which is too cheap to be true. They also service alcoholic beverages including Sake.

They have a variety of Japanese dishes to choose from including the traditional rice bowls and ramen to the more modern pork belly buns and lotus root chips. I am here for only one thing and that is the ramen. Oh how I love ramen so much.

 

One item that caught my attention was the 'Prawn and Chicken Ramen ($12.00)', which I've never seen on a Japanese restaurant menu before. I was intrigued and wanted to try it by my indecisiveness took over and I ended up with the 'Tonkotsu Spicy Ramen ($12.00)'. A pork broth ramen topped with pork mince, soft boiled egg, spring onions and some chilli spices. The noodles were thin but not too thin, and they were cooked perfectly, it had a nice bite to it. The stock was flavoured well and wasn't very thick which was another quality I liked about it. However, the egg was overcooked which left the yolk turning out solid and not runny like how it should be.

 

In the menu, the pictures of the donburi dishes had salad but the 'Mixed Tempura Donburi ($12.00)' that we ordered did not come with salad, which was quite disappointing. It came with a mix of tempura including two prawns, an eggplant piece and sweet potato slice on top of some dried seaweed and rice, which was lightly flavoured with soya sauce. The batter was crispy and crunchy which was a plus, but the exclusion of salad made the it taste dry. It also comes with a side of miso soup.

I thoroughly enjoyed my ramen and the donburi was decent. I will definitely be returning to try out other dishes considering how close it is to home. Friendly service and great prices for fresh, authentic and most importantly, delicious Japanese food.

Where?
Shop 4, 720 Princess Hwy,
Sutherland NSW 2232
Australia

Phone no: 02 9521 5191

Opening Hours
Monday - Sunday
11:00am - 9:00pm

Website
https://www.facebook.com/KuronekoRamen/