Food

It’s very seldom that we eat at Italian restaurants simply because some Aussie restaurants serve pasta and pizza so we sometimes get our Italian fill from them. I also cook a lot of Italian dishes at home (I cook a pasta dish once a week and I make Pizzas too.) so when we dine out, it’s usually our last resort. 
A refreshing dinner date with friends brought us to Casa Di Nico. The place is located at a relaxing atmosphere at King Street Wharf. Going the Italian way is almost always a winner with friends as pasta and pizza are great foods for sharing. It was first time for all of us to dine at Casa Di Nico and it proved to be a good (and delicious) decision. We enjoyed the night filled with loud laughter and great food.
Refreshing Cocktails to start off the night. Midori Splice a concoction of Midori, Malibu, Pineapple and Cream shaken with ice; Tentazione is made up of Midori, Mango Liqueur, Orange Juice and Cranberry Juice; and Strawberry Delight is a refreshing fusion of Malibu, Strawberry Liqueur and Havana Club Rum topped with Pineapple Juice and Strawberries.
Casa Di Nico (King Street Wharf, Sydney)

Mama Nico’s Entree Selection which consisted of Fried Baby Calamari, Wood Roasted Octopus and stuffed Zucchini Flowers. Enjoyed this immensely as each piece were very tasty. The Octopus was soft and chewy. The Zucchini Flowers crunchy and salty with Feta cheese and olives. The Calamari’s Lemon Mayonnaise was creamy but light.

P11906Casa Di Nico (King Street Wharf, Sydney)46
Linguine Arrabbiata, Fettuccine Carbonara and Prawn Fettuccine. Each pasta dish was comforting and filling. My favourite from the lot was the Arrabbiata as it gave a bit of kick with its spiciness.
Casa Di Nico (King Street Wharf, Sydney)
Casa Di Nico (King Street Wharf, Sydney)
Casa Di Nico (King Street Wharf, Sydney)

Nico’s Delight. Double smoked ham, caramelised pineapple, Roma tomatoes, mozarella and parsley.

Casa Di Nico (King Street Wharf, Sydney)
Romagnola. Proscuitto, semi-dried tomatoes, shaved Parmesan and rocket leaves.
Casa Di Nico (King Street Wharf, Sydney)

Casa Di Nico Italian Restaurant
The Promenade, King Street Wharf, Sydney
Phone: 1300 989 989
Email for reservations: restaurant@casadinico.com.au

Tried Chef’s Gallery in 2010 and this year, we got to eat here again with family and friends. They still serve the delicious Chinese dishes with a modern twist and we still enjoy dining there. Here are few dishes we’ve tried in the past two instances that we’ve eaten there.
Steamed Dimsum Sampling Platter which includes fresh and delicious dumplings: prawn dumpling, vegetable dumpling, chicken and prawn shui mai, spicy prawn dumpling, sticky rice dumpling; and two BBQ pork buns.
Chef's Gallery (Sydney, NSW)

Wok-fried Green Beans with Minced Pork. The beans are crunchy and has the perfect kind saltiness.  

Chef's Gallery (Sydney, NSW)

BBQ Delight. A platter that consists of tender and juicy roast duck and pork, cooked the Cantonese way.

Chef's Gallery (Sydney, NSW)

Fried Daikon Radish Cakes with Diced Sausages. This is one of their best dishes. They’re very tasty and will really wet one’s appetite. 

Chef's Gallery (Sydney, NSW)

Handmade Egg and Spinach Tofu. One of our favourites at Chef’s Gallery. It’s very tasty and glides softly inside the mouth. The tofu is lightly pan-fried so it’s not oily.

_11Chef's Gallery (Sydney, NSW)90356

Boneless Pork Ribs with Pork Floss. A must try if you’re eating during dinner time. A sure winner especially to those who love meat with a little salt and spice.

Chef's Gallery (Sydney, NSW)

Signature Fluffy Sweet Roti rolled with almond and coconut. Such a comforting dessert as the roti is soft and fluffy.

P1190383Chef's Gallery (Sydney, NSW)

Totoro Marshmallow. A creative, cute and sweet dessert.

Chef's Gallery (Sydney, NSW)


Blace Sesame and Mango Ice Cream. The Mango ice cream was average but I loved their black sesame ice cream!

Chef's Gallery (Sydney, NSW)

Steamed Piggy Face Sesame Buns. One of their bestsellers. A must whenever we eat here. We love the sweetness of these cute buns.

Chef's Gallery (Sydney, NSW)

Related Post: Christmas Eve Lunch at Chef’s Gallery.

Chef’s Gallery

Shop 12, Ground floor
Regent Place, 501 George Street, Sydney
Tel: +61 (02) 9267 8877

Here’s something refreshing and healthy…Lemon and Cucumber Water!

Put a few slices of Lemon and Cucumber in a jug, add water and then leave inside the fridge overnight. I do this every night after we’ve had dinner so that the following day, we’ll have a few glasses of Lemon and Cucumber Water to drink.

Lemon and Cucumber Water
Benefits: {source}

Lemon

  • High in Vitamin C and B, phosphorous, carbohydrates and protein.
  • Helps fight rheumatism, colds and swollen gums.
  • Contains flavanoids which promote growth enzymes that detoxify carcinogens.
  • The antioxidants in lemon juice detoxify harmful antibodies such as bacteria.
  • Studies show that lemon juice helps cure kidney stones, relieve bloating and inflammation such as arthritis.

Cucumber

  • Nutritional sources include protein, carbohydrate, sugar, fructose and starch.
  • High in potassium, contains phosphorous, magnesium and calcium.
  • Provides Vitamin A, beta carotene, Vitamin C and lutein.
  • Relieves appendicitis.
  • Helps cleanse kidneys, improve skin condition and lower blood pressure.

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I can’t believe it’s been almost a month since Daiso opened a branch in the heart of Sydney and I haven’t blogged about it. I’m sorry Sydneysiders for the lateness of this post. 

Daiso Japan opened in Chinatown Sydney (Level 1, 727 George Street, Haymarket) on the first week of September. On the second day it opened, my friend and I rushed to the store as soon as we clocked out of the office. We were that excited!

The Daiso branch in Chinatown has a smaller space compared to the Chatswood branch however, I feel like I’m able to see more items that I never noticed in Chatswood. I don’t know why this is the case for me.

Two of the sections that I enjoy are the Bento and Food section.

The Chinatown branch is conveniently located not too far away from where I work so it’s possible for me to drop by anytime I want to. However, after visiting three times in two weeks, I had to stay away because Daiso is such a wasteland haven and a hoarder’s nightmare. Eventhough each item is only AUD2.80, it can become expensive later on when you add all your purchases up. So everytime I walk in the store, I get what I need and check-out the counter. No need to dilly dally because I can always swing by anytime.

Here are a few items I was able to get:
Storage solutions. A jug I can use for storing Lemon and Cucumber Water. A small glass container for storing left-over Kimchi.  Plastic boxes for storing shoes.

Now Open in Chinatown, Sydney: DAISO

Bento accessories and sushi molders. I would love to learn a few ways to brighten up our lunch boxes and make sushi at home so I bought a few items to help me start off. Also, the sushi molders can be used for molding sausages (I think of Longganisa).

Now Open in Chinatown, Sydney: DAISO

Fragrance Oil. I only bought one scent for now and if we like it, we’ll buy some more.

Now Open in Chinatown, Sydney: DAISO

Food. It’s the first time I bought food items from Daiso and so far, they’ve all been good. I got us some biscuits for snacks and some noodles and soup stocks for cooking (see latest my latest recipe: Japanese Tinola)

Now Open in Chinatown, Sydney: DAISO

DAISO Japan
Level 1, 727 George Street
Haymarket, Sydney 2000
Phone: (02) 9212 6888
Open 7 days a week from 9:00am-9:00pm

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And we’re back at Cabramatta! 

We were just there two weeks ago but we enjoyed the place so much we went back and met up with friends for coffee and lunch before heading to the city to buy my new writing partner.

Started our foodie adventure at Cafe 86 (4/29 John Street, Cabramatta) so we can enjoy a refreshing glass of  Vietnamese Iced Coffee and Iced Jasmine tea. Our friend Yyoni loved it! We savoured it to the last sip.


Lunch was at another must-visit Vietnamese restaurant, Tan Viet Noodle House (3/100 John Street, Cabramatta) where we enjoyed rice meals of pork chops, rump steak and chicken cooked the Vietnamese way. Thanks to Yyoni and kids for bringing us here and for sharing our love for Vietnamese cuisine. We had so much fun catching up and eating great food.


Will share details of our Cabramatta foodie adventures soon. 🙂

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