Food

The great thing about living in Sydney is one need not go overseas to have a fill of different authentic cuisines.  I’ve shown you different areas of Sydney Metro that has Koreatowns and I’ve also written about Chinatown. This time, let me bring you to a gastronomic tour of Cabramatta, Sydney Metro’s Vietnamtown.

Located in the Metro South West, Cabramatta is Sydney’s Little Vietnam. Although there are restaurants that offer different cuisines, majority of the establishments here are Vietnamese. A short walk from Cabramatta Train Station to John Street and you’ll find a long avenue of restaurants and shops. This is where you can have a glass of Iced Vietnamese Coffee at Cafe 86 or have some Pho at Pho Viet and Tan Viet.
Gastro-Travel: Cabramatta, Sydney Metro's Vietnamtown
P1Gastro-Travel: Cabramatta, Sydney Metro's Vietnamtown210036
In a bakery called Viet Hoa Hot Bread, we chanced upon the Banh Kep or Pandan Waffles. Sweet, fluffy and soft. Perfect when eaten hot and fresh. 
Gastro-Travel: Cabramatta, Sydney Metro's Vietnamtown

You will see a few establishments with Sugar Cane Makers.  Fresh Sugar Cane Juice made only when one orders. They’re refreshing and healthy.

Gastro-Travel: Cabramatta, Sydney Metro's Vietnamtown
We went to Eastland Supermarket for some fresh produce and rice cakes. It’s a bigh store full of Asian products. Outside the store are fruits that liven up the place.
Gastro-Travel: Cabramatta, Sydney Metro's Vietnamtown
Gastro-Travel: Cabramatta, Sydney Metro's Vietnamtown
You can also find sliced and packed fruits should you want the convenience just eating it right away.
Gastro-Travel: Cabramatta, Sydney Metro's Vietnamtown
Vietnamese delights such as desserts, rice cakes, nuts and jelly cakes on take away containers. 
Gastro-Travel: Cabramatta, Sydney Metro's Vietnamtown
Gastro-Travel: Cabramatta, Sydney Metro's Vietnamtown
Gastro-Travel: Cabramatta, Sydney Metro's Vietnamtown
We went inside one of the laneways of John Street and found more stores. One store offered cooked dishes for take-away. They looked delicious but I didn’t buy them when we where there. I swear though that next time I had the chance I will definitely buy us some of these.
Gastro-Travel: Cabramatta, Sydney Metro's Vietnamtown
Tim Tim Cake Shop (Shop 16, 105-107 John Street) sells simple but delicious cakes of different flavours such as Sesame Roll, Green Tea Roll, Pandan Roll, etc.
Gastro-Travel: Cabramatta, Sydney Metro's Vietnamtown
Other than food, we went thru some of the shops but spent more time at a video store that sells DVDs of Asian dramas. Of course we gravitated towards the Korean dramas haha.
Gastro-Travel: Cabramatta, Sydney Metro's Vietnamtown
Gastro-Travel: Cabramatta, Sydney Metro's Vietnamtown

We were so full from all coffee and lunch we had at Cabramatta so we just bought a few desserts to share with our relatives. We got rice cakes, bean cakes and a Taro Roll. I also bought a pack of sliced Green Mangoes.

Gastro-Travel: Cabramatta, Sydney Metro's Vietnamtown
Gastro-Travel: Cabramatta, Sydney Metro's Vietnamtown

We enjoyed the Taro Roll and Rice Cakes when we had tea. The next time we visit Cabramatta, we’ll try some other desserts and goodies we can find there.

In the coming days, I will share with you the Vietnamese restaurants we’ve eaten at Cabramatta. 

Related Posts:
The Husband’s Birthday Weekend
Cabramatta Part 2

Discovered a place that serves the best looking and best tasting Bibimbap. We had lunch at Asadal in celebration of the Husband’s birthday last month and we got to have the most abundant and gorgeous Bibimbap and more.
Asadal Japanese Korean Restaurant (Parramatta, NSW)

Asadal is a restaurant that successfully married Japanese and Korean cuisine and served them in beautifully made dishes. Not every Japanese-Korean restaurant can do this, but with Asadal, they’ve perfected both cuisines that’s why they’re recognized as one of the best restaurants in Sydney Metro.

Once we entered the restaurant, we saw the sushi train on the left and the dining area on the right. We asked to be seated in one of the tables and just grabbed a few plates from the sushi train.

Asadal Japanese Korean Restaurant (Parramatta, NSW)

The prettiest water jug we’ve seen so far. How very Korean, aye?

Asadal Japanese Korean Restaurant (Parramatta, NSW)
The best thing about a Japanese-Korean restaurant is having the best of both worlds. Only in restaurants like these do we see our table laden with Sushi and Banchan dishes. Such a wonderful and mouthwatering sight to behold.
Asadal Japanese Korean Restaurant (Parramatta, NSW)
We ordered a plate of Takoyaki Balls to start with. Deep-fried Octopus enveloped in creamy mayonnaise and dipped in Tonkatsu sauce. 
Asadal Japanese Korean Restaurant (Parramatta, NSW)
Our choice for the Sushi: Chicken with Avocado and Scallops. The Chicken was crunchy while the Scallop was so soft and fresh. Their sushi are one of the best I’ve tasted in Sydney Metro. 
Asadal Japanese Korean Restaurant (Parramatta, NSW)
Asadal Japanese Korean Restaurant (Parramatta, NSW)

The Husband ordered the Sizzling Teriyaki Chicken. It had the right balance of salty and sweet which is a winner in my books.

Asadal Japanese Korean Restaurant (Parramatta, NSW)
While I had a big bowl of Bibimbap. It’s the prettiest, freshest and well-made Bibimbap I’ve had so far. The beef was half-cooked when it arrived to our table but the bowl is so hot that it will cook all the ingredients in it. In a few minutes, the beef turned brown but it was juicy and tender.
Asadal Japanese Korean Restaurant (Parramatta, NSW)

We took our time and savoured the Husband’s birthday lunch. This restaurant was perfect for us because we love Korean and Japanese cuisines and we’re so glad that Asadal makes them both so well.

Asadal Restaurant (Korean Japanese Cuisine)
Shop 1, 76 Phillip Street, Parramatta NSW
Phone: (02) 9633 4765

Coco Cubano is a cafe and restaurant in the heart of the Parramatta CBD. Together with friends, we met up on a Saturday morning to have brunch here. 

About Coco Cubano:

Coco Cubano takes the best of Cuba, mixing hedonistic espresso, chocolate, cocktails and food to bring the experience to life. The cafe and bar takes the creation of pleasurable and comfortable environments seriously and blends with the best in customer service and delivery. (source)

The restaurant is a sight to behold. Lots of attractive paraphernalias that will amuse from their couches, table number and photos on the wall.

Coco Cubano (Parramatta, NSW)
Coco Cubano (Parramatta, NSW)

They offer breakfast until lunchtime but we ordered lunch instead. Us ladies started off with a jug of Sangria. Just the ladies because the husbands were driving hehe. The Sangria tasted great with its refreshing fusion of lemon, orange and red wine. 

Coco Cubano (Parramatta, NSW)

The Husband had a glass of fresh Orange Juice. So good and healthy. 

Coco Cubano (Parramatta, NSW)

Our friends ordered a big plate of Nachos. A great partner to the Sangria.

Coco Cubano (Parramatta, NSW)

The Husband had a hearty and massive Wagyu Burger. The meat was juicy, tasty and flavourful. It had bacon, cheese, onions and a few greens. It came with perfectly cooked chunky chips.   

Coco Cubano (Parramatta, NSW)

As for me, I savoured the goodness of their Grilled Chicken Breast with Quinoa Salad and Chips. Such a healthy option but comes with great flavour.  

Coco Cubano (Parramatta, NSW)
Great tasting food and a cozy ambience was what made up our brunch at Coco Cubano. Can’t wait to go back and try their other dishes. 
302 Church Street, Parramatta NSW
Phone: (02) 9126 8264
The famous Breadtop has arrived in Blacktown! The recently opened bakery is located at Level 1 of Westpoint Blacktown and they’ve only operated this week. 
Breadtop is known for their deliciously baked breads. They also have cakes, ice cream and custard.

One of their bestsellers is the Pork Floss Bun. So glad we were able to grab the last one on the shelf.

Also the only one on the shelf when we visited was the Milk Custard. I like it because it tastes like white chocolate. 

So glad that we now have Breadtop in our suburb. My next foodie wish is for us to have Chatime (Dear Universe, please can we have Chatime here soon?).

Here are the stuff we brought home from our Koreatown Fri-date:

Breads from Hello Happy. Our favourites are the buttery and soft Almond Croissant and sweet Red Bean Bun
Goodies from Koreatown

We decided to get the Cheese Bun and Green Tea Red Bean Bun.  Good breads with more than enough filling.

Goodies from Koreatown

Ice Cream. The Cookies and Cream Connoisseur ice cream is not a Korean ice cream because it’s made by Nestle but we bought it because we found it so cute in its tiny packaging. We were shocked that it’s AUD$4.00 but it was worth it the moment we tasted it. It was great and filled with lots of cookie bits.  We bought a Red Bean ice cream and found it similar to the monggo ice candy we used to eat when we were kids in the Philippines. 

Goodies from Koreatown

Chocolates. I was intrigued by both the Orion Choco Boy and Lotte Macadamia Chocoball so we decided to try it. The Macadamia Chocoball didn’t taste much of a chocolate. The Choco Boy fared better as the chocolate was good and melted inside the mouth.

Goodies from Koreatown

Canned Coffees.  We like having a few Lotte Coffee-in-Cans at home. This is as instant as it could get. It’s not as spectacular as drinking brewed coffee but it’s an instant coffee fix and refreshing during hot days. The brown can is the Mocha Coffee which I love better than the blue can which is Mild Coffee.

Goodies from Koreatown

I bought a can of Baba Americano Coffee for the sake of just trying it out. It’s bitter but good enough not to add sugar for someone like me who likes a strong coffee. 

Goodies from Koreatown
So there. Just a few stuff from Korea that we buy whenever we’re in Strathfield.