A love-filled afternoon spent with Tweethearts Pen, Jo and Lena. Two hours of solid girl talk about life, love, milestones and the things that make us happy.
My China Sencha Tea and my glass of De Perriere Sparkling Rosé NV
Restaurants
It’s been a while since we’ve had a proper date so when we went out to watch the Beethoven Nine concert, we had to go the usual route of having coffee and dessert first.
I seem to be getting involved in a few unplanned meet-ups lately. Mid-week, my girlfriend, Chloe, messaged me that she’s on the early roster (read: early out from work) and can meet up for coffee after work. I immediately replied, “I’m free Thursday afternoon! I want to check out this Korean cafe in Pitt Street called “Caffe Tiamo“. Let’s go there, please?” And being the nice friend that she is, Chloe responded on the affirmative. Yay! It was set then.
We met up at World Square and walked our way towards the cafe which was actually just across the street. We were so engrossed with catching up while we were walking that we went the other way haha. Very funny.
Anyway, we finally got there only to realise that I’ve passed by Caffe Tiamo a few times before. It had an inconspicuous facade with its small entrance. From the outside, it can be mistaken as a take-away cafe but once inside, it was spacious enough for guests to dine in. They also have a courtyard at the back part of the cafe should you wish to dine al fresco. It was a warm day yesterday so we opted to for a table on the loft area.
We like the Korean vibe inside the place. Chloe even asked if the place is similar to the cafes I’ve been to in Seoul and indeed it is similar as it had cute interiors such as book shelves and plants decors. The ambience made us feel like we were in a garden.
Stra Heajanggug is one of those Korean restaurants that we like to frequent. It’s just a few minutes walk from Strathfield train station so it’s very convenient whenever we are in Koreatown. They consider themselves a traditional Korean restaurant as they offer dishes that remind you of home-cooked meals in Korea.
We’ve dined here a few times and here are some of the dishes we’ve tried:
Steamed Jokbal or steamed pig’s feet. Lightly seasoned with salt, pepper and spices, topped with salad. Jokbal is one of Korea’s famous appetizers, street food and accompaniment to alcoholic drinks such as Soju. The pig’s feet were sliced thinly and very tender. We’ve only had this once in order to experience the taste of Jokbal and wouldn’t mind eating it once in a while.
Kimchi, Tofu & Pork Soup. Not for the faint-hearted. Very spicy; the kind of hot I like. The kind of hot that’s comforting during cold nights.
Beef Ribs Soup. The beef was so tender that it almost fell off the bone! The soup had a balanced flavour of sweet and salty. This is my favourite Beef Ribs Soup to date. Some nights, we only come back just to have a bowl of this.
Stra Heajanggug feels like home to us. From the simple but cozy ambience of the restaurant, the Korean Dramas they play on TV, the promptness of the staff and of course, the delicious food they serve.
Stra Heajanggug
Shop 28/45-47, The Boulevard
Strathfield NSW 2135
Phone: 02 9746 7500
Thanks to food bloggers like Suze whom I follow on IG, I get to discover restaurants to try out in and out of Sydney. It was thru her that I found my new favourite Korean Fried Chicken. And I’m so happy that it’s located in Strathfield. If you follow me on IG, you’d probably notice that the Husband and I usually have dinner in Strathfield (Sydney Metro’s Koreatown) once a week. We already have our favourite restaurants in the area but we love discovering and trying new places.
Strathfield Sports Club has a bistro called Red Pepper that serves Korean cuisine. They are particularly known for their Korean Fried Chicken.
We ordered a big bowl of U-Kaejang, beef stewed in spicy soup with leek, green bean sprouts, glass noodles and topped with fried egg. It was the perfect comfort food on a cold day.
The main star of our dinner was Korean Fried Chicken, of course. We got a half order of Korean Fried Chicken with Wasabi Sauce sprinkled with Spring Onions. It was the best KFC I’ve tasted in Sydney so far. I love it! The skin was crispy while the meat was tender and flavourful. We tasted and felt the heat from the wasabi but it doesn’t overwhelm, just enough flavour to give you that wasabi kick.
We are definitely coming back here in case we crave for Korean Fried Chicken in the future and try out their other variations of KFC (have a look at a part of their menu here).
Red Pepper
Strathfield Sports Club
4a Lyons Street, Strathfield