Brunching Joyously (Haven Cafe review)

I've never been to a cafe more than once than at Haven Joyously Tailoring Coffee in Surry Hills. Not only do I love spending a bright, sunny morning in Surry Hills with great company - the food is amazing and the staff are such sweethearts (I sound like someone's middle aged aunt right now). 

Black Sesame Egg Waffles
Source: http://havenspecialtycoffee.com.au/

I keep coming back for their fresh menu and this time we ordered the Matcha egg waffles, Morrocan Salmon with cous cous and Felafel Potato. I have absolutely zero guilt if it's MATCHA ice cream for breakfast! It's not common in Sydney to get egg waffles like these, especially when they feature in Taiwan and HK where my go to instafoodies travel! Ultimate disappointment at the overseas geotag until Haven saves the day!! Also shoutout to the salmon dish which was bursting with flavour and perfectly cooked (soft pink on the inside). Food never disappoints in flavour, innovation and aesthetics.

Source: Broadsheet

Source: Weekend Notes

What's a brunch at Haven without its unique brews! Would totally recommend the Dragon Oolong ice tea (great for the summer) or the nutty coffee brew. It features nutty and wine notes, minus the heavy alcoholic tang! 

Let's not forget the staff who know the coffee blends back to front and are always asking how your meal is going! They really go the extra mile and it's partly why I recommend this place all the time with friends! 

If you're planning the next catch up, give Haven a go! 

$$
Ambience 5/5
Fare $$
Service 5/5
Foodwise 5/5
Now back to the rinse repeat cycle of uni!
Don't forget to treat yourself..
MVPD

The Little Snail @ Darling Harbour // Review

French food is one of those cuisines that I've been dying to try for ages! They're definitely not as common as your thai food joint in every suburb! Like "let's go get French" said no one ever! Not hating on crepes but they're too easy to come by nowadays! I mean your ratatouille, snails and more snails!

So getting treated at the Little Snail at Darling Harbour for my birthday was one of the most amazing intangible gifts you could get! I feel nowadays I'm more for experience rather than the materialism. My friend dines here often so he knew which dishes were en pointe!

Oui oui I felt like being adventurous with my menu choice and I definitely have no regrets!

Here's the breakdown:
Entree:
"Escargots de Bourgogne" aka marinated sea snails in a buttery sauce
How fittingly french, you use the pitch fork thing to twist it out of the shell and dip it in the pool of garlicky, buttery goodness. 10/10"Mushroom and Leek Crepe" (pronounce with French accent)
For a friend who vows never to be vego, this dish is the exception so enough said I guess?

Mains:
Kangaroo Fillet with Dijon and honey bordelaise sauce
I'm all for the 'well done' and almost got frowned upon for asking. Medium is as cooked as it gets and the thinly sliced kangaroo was amazing - soft and slightly crispy on the skin. Didn't take much convincing from the French waiter and I think I'm converted to medium cooked now!

"Cote de Veau" aka Veal Tenderloin with champignon and chardonnay beurre blanc
Lets also admire that potato croquette on the side please! All meat on point!

Desserts:
Belgian Chocolate Gateau No words for this gateau (it was out of this world) and the sweet candy sorbet complimented the dark choc so nicely with a fruity tang!
Kahlua Infused Chocolate MousseTwo questions: 1. How did the chef put this together and 2. How do you eat it like a lady without a deconstructed mess on the plate? (It is perfectly possible!!)Well not too shabby for my very first French cuisine experience. :P
The mango cocktail was a great choice to accompany the food. I'm not much of a wine enthusiast but that wine was definitely a winner too (but cocktails any day!)

The staff were so great you couldn't help blanking out and just admiring their accents! I can't imagine a better venue and interior design with the windows shedding sunset light onto the plates! We came at the early end of dinner so it was  a nice busy. So chuffed afterwards (and keen to burn some of that dessert off with a walk around Darling Harbour!!)

Three word summary: Transported, Delicate, Serene
Ambience 5/5
Fare $$$
Service 5/5
Foodwise 5/5

Ciao 

MVPD xx

Devon Cafe Review

I don't know about you but when fellow brunchers post and snap about this mysterious 'Aphrodite's Bowl' from Devon Cafe in Surry Hills, something ignites in me - a curiosity (duh) and part that likes 'pretty things'.

100% sure I was eating Happiness in a bowl....

With the havoc of uni exams and assignments forcing you to compromise with quick dodgy mascara, el-DAG attires and cycling between the same three shoes.... the time had come to finally 'feel pretty' hehe. (Not endorsing that this bowl has supernatural powers capable of solving all our issues - I wish)

Disclaimer: The sis had not finished exams yet so was not allowed to celebrate despite it being a 'Government Politics' unit.

So us superior second years went and brunched in style. Devon is one of those cafes that kinda surprise you the way it looks cause all you see from other bloggers and Instagram is table + food + beverages. But we loved the seating at the back - very courtyard garden-y minus actual foliage.

The only non-food picture evidence of actual Devon interior
since we were waay too engrossed with snapshoting our food
(I mean hello, Aphrodite's own bowl was in front of me)!

We ordered two 'Naked Bruschetta' (didn't come with diced tomatoes for all you tomato lovers out there!). But the goats cheese was juuuuust right (I swear cafes always get it right here - never too salty!) and don't we all love roasted beetroots with avo? Also- shout out to the egg (always the egg) and thinly roasted slices of beetroot and radish (yum yum in my tum tum).

While there were other items on the menu - in this episode I was again  'girl on a mission'. In a nutshell (description totally not doing it justice here) it's a rice pudding garnished with rose petals, pistachio and crunchy honeycomb with a dollop of chia jam. I think rose water may come into the equation somewhere but my senses don't tingle as well as Spidey's.

Please excuse the bruschetta at the back looking
like a dark star :P

 The ratio of rice to actually pudding-ness (I'm sorry if I'm politically incorrect) was a little low for my liking if I think of rice pudding past times. But with this said, garnishes on point! They add the right chew and crunch (and at the right time too- magical?) so you can be assured you're not just having bby food. Tops to Devon on their chia jam too, went great with each pudding spoonful! So Aphrodite's Bowl did deliver and now I literally want a little elf or something preparing me this every morning for breakfast in bed as I catch up on the newest GoT.

"Naked Bruschetta" with hiding walnut bread
- Sorry for the dark photo :( 

I don't go to Surry Hills enough but it's always been the best!
We learned the hard way that Devon doesn't get cronuts delivered from its other store during weekdays. So we jumped on the first train to Brewtown and also learnt the hard way (again) that brewnuts go like (literally) 'hot cakes' with this chick before us ordering 'one of each' - what a cruel, cruel world!

Somehow we always end up in Newtown?! Coincidence? I think not! :)

Three Word Summary: Bright, Modern, Cronuts
Ambience 4/5
Fare $$
Service 5/5
Foodwise 4/5


Ciao for now!
MVPD xo

Blacksmith Catch Ups

I can finally say I've visited the Surry Hills cafe scene after weeks of seeing blog reviews, the top Sydney cafe lists and of course every second foodgram from fellow brunch bloggers!

We hit Blacksmiths cafe on Chalmers Street and got hooked up with a small window table, ordered then were left in peace to admire the industrial decor. The creative menu is defs worth a mention too! Nowadays who wants to order from a simple, ordinary piece of paper! One look to our right (we didn’t ‘See a Hollywood sign’ like Miley Cyrus) was a green view of Prince Alfred Park to watch the day go by!

There's just something about Surry Hills that's so close to the bustling city but at the same time so slow moving and relaxing!

 

We came during the late lunchtime when it was winding down and ordered the chicken baguette ($13.50) and tricolor quinoa ($16 - because who doesn't love quinoa)! The lunch menu touches all tastes but doesn't dally on one sort of dish which makes for great choice of dishes that are uniquely different. The most choice you have is your baguette!

 

The quinoa - no offense baguette-  looked PERFF in all its tricolour glory!! It did come out looking slightly less in the terms of the actual quinoa versus other ingredients than I expected as I've had the pleasure to acquaint myself with quinoa dishes of other eateries at slightly lower rates - a bit of a player I know :P . But it was fresh and still the perfect serving size leaving me full but not heavy with the sweet pomegranate, non OTT salty goats cheese and amazing date vinaigrette. This was one of the best quinoa combination of ingredients that I have tried so I was happy inside and out by the end of it! 

 

The baguette was glitzed up with fresh salad and homemade sauce so you weren't just having chicken in a bread roll. The chicken was succulent and easy to eat with cutlery without making a large scene (always a plus!)

Fresh, healthy and fulfilled was how we left! We will definitely come again, this time for the cakes which looked so good as we were checking out (not sure if we'll be leaving with that same healthy feeling the next time)! It makes for such a good catch up place for friends towards the late lunchtime so you can update on all the gossip and what not, talk animatedly for ages (the food won't go cold and hard on you) and also good exercise for the neck as you look around at the decor! (The toilets were pretty cool too :D )

Walking past the counter towards the back are some pretty authentic and practical touches to the industrial theme with the sacks of baker's flour and strange machines and contraptions (my guess is something Blacksmith related?). If we weren't talking we spent most of the time checking out the cool ceiling in a non-awkward way - there's such a nice contrast with the greenery, hanging pot plants and the tin lights. 

 

To Surry Hills..... doing it right since the 1790’s

Three Word Summary: Rustic, Authentic, Contemplative
Ambience 5/5
Fare $$
Service 5/5
Foodwise 4/5


MVPD

Vietnamese food that isn't PHO?!

Let's get a little cultural and adventurous. When you say Vietnamese food. We say Cabramatta and Canley Heights. We're not always keen to head in the westerly direction but you'll be kidding yourself if you think you're enjoying authentic Vietnamese cuisine in the city (there are few exceptions)! This could be the next road trip with friends!

As suggested by mum, we paid a little visit to Huong Xua on 208 Canley Vale Road for a slightly different kind of Viet food.

The restaurant specializes in dishes with Oc which is Vietnamese for sea snails! A little French vibe oui? Well that made ordering a tad easier - just order the specialty.

And the reason we wanted to share this food outing was to show that there's more to Vietnamese cuisine than good ol' Pho soup and noodles! We're not hating on the Pho (we couldn't flick past it on the menu) but we just wanted to show something new. Pho we will save for another day don't you worry!

We ordered Bun Oc (pronun. Booo-m Op), not in the soup for but as dry form (you can choose between the two) which came with vermicelli noodles and bowl of soul with the sea snails to dip with a side salad. Everything tasted fresh and light - it was really satisfying. 

We also called for pork Hu Tieu (pronun. Who Teew) in soup form (thin flat glass noodles in pork broth) which the noodle was just a little chewy just as it should be and the broth was light but deep in flavour at the same time!

Here’s a little step by step on how to eat your Bun Oc (kind of like Oreo - dip and enjoy!):

How else do you end a Vietnamese dinner out than with the traditional dessert Che! We only had to cross the road before we were seated outside with our orders taken. There was simply only one choice on our minds: Che Thai

I'm not sure about the English translation but I can tell you what's in it: cubed fruit salad, agar jelly, mung bean, durian, lycée, sweet coconut milk and topped with shaved ice

Usually durian is too hard core for me but I can always manage it here only for some reason! Che Thai is always a personal fav of mine (I’m not even sure how it gets the ‘Thai’ in its name – just don’t take it too literally) and here is the best cafe I’ve had it at.

We were beaming inside by the end of the night – such great Vietnamese food to explore all the time even for us Viet sistas.Until next time!MVPD

Yum Cha 101

Another stray away from the usual cafe lunch scene is a trip to Chinatown for some authentic yum cha with a group of friends.
Yum cha is just one of those things you just need to try (a food adventure and catch up all in one!) so hopefully I can tempt you to book a date soon!

I recently went to The Marigold in Haymarket Chinatown to rekindle my love for yum cha with some snaps to share of my fav dishes (and also the newbies I've discovered!).

Lightly fried steamed rice rolls with satay sauce
This was new to me, not my cup of tea as much as I tried.

Siew Mai (p. seeeew my)
The pork mince is stuffed in wonton sheet is my #2

When we could, yum cha was our every-now-and-then Sunday brunch treat (we began on the baby high chair) to wind down with the family, sipping on our bubble milk teas that we bought on the same street! But with a group of friends you feel more adventurous and dare to try more strange dishes.

Seafood Spring rolls
They come with any filling, you just have to
inquire.
Not my go-to dish since mum makes
 the best ones at home :)

Banh Cuon (viet title)
We always request these steamed rice  rolls/cake
with prawn. These can also come with
BBQ pork :O Served with Vietnamese
fish sauce is delish!

I always appreciate a friend who knows how to order their yum cha! It's been great for broadening my yum cha experience!

Your classic steamed pork bun - enough said

These egg tarts are always too much on the eggy side
for my liking but they're so popular

Some other dishes that went too fast I couldn't take a picture of were the Prawn Dumpling and Deep Fried Taro Puffs!

Deep fried taro puffs with duck filling
A bit strange when you bite and see purple (taro)
but nice anyways!

Ha Cao (prawn dumplings)
My #1 go-to yum cha dish

Equally as important as the dishes are the condiment sauces! Its best to eat with the sauce served specially with the dish but don't be afraid to add a little dollop of chilli sauce to be really authentic!

Mango pancakes are the best way to finish yum cha!
The pancake is filled with light Creme and chopped mango!
The mangoes are always the just right - sweet, never sour like the supermarkets!

I definitely left the restaurant in a good mood!
If you're feeling a little empty right now, chances are you're missing a little yum cha in your life!

MVPD xx