Yum cha is my most favorite Chinese dining experience, wherein from 11:00am-2:00pm, food carts go around certain Chinese restaurants (not all Chinese restos offer yum cha) and you can choose the food you want from these pushed food carts. Think Pinoy street food only that you are sitting inside the restaurant instead of waiting for them to offer you food on side streets.

Yum cha is a Cantonese word for “drink tea”. It refers to the custom of eating small servings of different foods while sipping tea. The tea is essential in yum cha as it said to help digest the food. The drinking tea part is actually why I love yum cha!…(1) because in some Chinese restaurants it is free and (2) the “help to digest the food” part happens to me so I get to eat a lot and not get too full.

This is what happens when yum cha begins….the food carts parade infront of your table and offer you whatever is in their cart.

You can ask them to show you what’s inside of those wooden plates too incase you want to be sure if it’s pork, beef, chicken or vegetable whatever.

For our yum cha last 19 July (birthday celebration of my Tita Ma), we ordered these….

Spareribs

Prawn Dimsum

Prawn Dumplings

My favorite Pork Bun (Siopao)

Of course, we won’t forget the Pork Dimsum (Siomai)

Some vegetable in oyster sauce

My first time to try Vegetable Dumpling

Spring Rolls (they’re kinda big no?)

This is my new favorite!!! It’s called Fried Pork Dimsum 🙂

It’s like Pork Siomai but fried…so yummy!!!!

We also asked for some Duck wraps…they create the wraps infront of you

It’s like a mini-shawarma but it’s duck instead of beef

This was how our table looked like

The best way to enjoy yum cha is to eat with a good number of people. I have experienced yum cha with just me and my husband but since it’s only the two of us, we can’t really get much food. If you dine in as a group, you have more chances at trying out more of the food from the carts. It is also more enjoyable too! While waiting for the food carts to pass by your table, you have time to chitchat while drinking tea.

My most awaited part is always the dessert because I get to eat Taho (Tofu) :). Whenever we go yum cha, I’m always on the lookout for the Dessert Trolley, making sure that they serve Taho (some Chinese restos don’t have it sometimes–out of stock daw hehe). It is not the usual Pinoy Taho with sago and sandamak-mak na Caramel syrup but it’s a good alternative for someone like me who miss eating Taho from the Philippines.

Here comes my Taho…

…the girl prepares it right infront of you so that when it is handed to you, it is still warm. They put some syrup on it (I don’t really know what syrup it is, sometimes i think it’s maple or maybe caramel but only that it’s white in color) to make it sweet.

Even if I’m full from all the pork buns, dumplings and dimsums that I ate, I was still able to finish my bowl of Taho–I guess that’s how I miss eating Taho…and I think the tea really helps in digesting the foods I ate.

All photos taken by yours truly using Canon 30D. Names of food may not be accurate (pardon me) as sometimes it is hard to understand the waitresses when they say the name of the food. For better viewing of the food photos, please visit my Flickr page:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ibyangsanchez

I love spending mornings with the hubby having breakfast and coffee with him. I just feel so relaxed throughout the day when I start the day with him that way. In the meantime that he’s not working yet, it is a privilege that I get to see him awake in the mornings. So it is a treat for me that once in a while he accompanies me to the city in the morning just so we can have breakfast together.

When I started working it Glebe Point Road (location where I work) I have always dreamed of Chris and I exploring some of Sydney’s unique cafes there. So when Chris arrived here, I took him to two cafes I’ve been eyeing on for months.

Naggy’s Cafe (333B Glebe Point Road)

The cafe is situated about a few meters away from my office, about a 2-3 minutes walk. Its unique name came from the chef and owner Nagendra Gautam.

Recently opened this year, this cafe caught my eye because of its eclectic interior designs. The first thing you will notice are the chairs…they’re all mixed and different.

Then at the back part of the cafe, they seem to have these Victorian drawing room with red sofas—I love it!!!

They have this antique-looking lamps on the ceiling that made it more romantic in a way or just cozier perhaps.

On this one corner where the Victorian sofas were, they painted the wall red too.

On the walls, there were several framed flower photographs and paintings hanging. They even have mirrors of different sizes on the wall.

Chris ordered a Cafe Mocha while I had Cafe Americano, both poured into cute looking cups and were deliciously made.

We ordered Eggs and Bacon with Toast, a simple Australian breakfast that was well-cooked and arrived about 10 minutes after we ordered.

The staff are quick, friendly and attentive. We were taking photographs before we ate and the girl barista came over and asked us if we want to have our photograph taken…but we declined and said we’re alright.

While some of the cafes in Glebe seemed old-fashioned, this cafe seems to be for the young and hip of Glebe. I see a lot of high school students hanging out here in the afternoons before going home or some uni students having coffee while engrossed typing away on their laptops.

Naggy’s Cafe also serves lunch (I’ve tried their pasta for lunch and it’s delish!), cookies and yummy cakes.

Fair Trade Coffe Company (33 Glebe Point Road)

Located near the corner of Glebe Point Road, this cafe is known for their Fairtrade Coffee and organic food they serve to their clientele.

Their interiors may look scattered or chaotic but it is homey and cozy nonetheless. When I was there, all I could say was “This is an artist’s cafe”…so colorful and eclectic and poetic. Their walls have photographs and paintings that convey messages like this one:

Not to mention that they have an alligator for a table (hehehe)…

According to The Fair Trade Coffee Company their coffee and tea are free from exploitation. When you order a cup of coffee or tea from them, you can be sure that it is certified fair trade, meaning that every worker involved in producing that cup is paid a fair wage for their work.

Also, all proceeds from the Fair Trade Coffee Company go towards funding volunteer placements in countries such as Timor-Leste, Papua New Guinea and Kenya to assist in skill exchange programs which offer hope for a long-term, sustainable future. Ayos diba? Nabusog ka na, nakatulong ka pa!

And all their food is ORGANIC so its healthier….but then we ordered bacon, sausages and eggs (haha).

They served brown bread and it tasted good.

The bacon, eggs, sausages, mushrooms and tomatoes all tasted delicious and fresh.

The staff are friendly and accommodating. Newpapers and magazines are available all over the place so feel free to grab one and read while enjoying your fresh cup of coffee or tea.

This entry is for Armi and Arlene…cheers to our love for coffee!!!!! I hope one day soon I’ll be able to join you both as you say “Prost!” before taking that first sip of delicious coffee.

Naggy’s Cafe visited on 18 April 2008. Fair Trade Coffee Company visited on 9 May 2008.