Restaurants

Plans to dine hot pot style did not push thru during Winter but since we’re still having cool (and rainy) days until now, my dream of a hot pot style meal came true three weeks ago.

Got a tip from Suze (thanks Suze!) about a restaurant that serves mini hot pots and it seemed to be the perfect kind of dining experience for the picky eater. CQL Mini Pot is the latest restaurant in Burwood which offers a hot pot buffet for AUD$29.90. Individual hot pots containing the soup base of your choice and your choice of meats/seafood/veggies are placed on a little induction stove on your table is such a cute and delicious idea.
CQL Mini Hotpot (Burwood, NSW)
CQL Mini Hotpot (Burwood, NSW)

Once seated we were asked to choose our orders from an iPad where we can see the names, photos and prices of their offerings.

CQL Mini Hotpot (Burwood, NSW)

Two from our group chose the hot pot buffet while the others ordered a la carte. The moment we were given a tray, we walked to the buffet table and grabbed our choice of meat, seafood and vegetables for our hot pot. Towards the kitchen area is another buffet table of cooked food and rice to partner with your hot pot. A table laden with a variety of food condiments are available to help create more flavour for your food.

P1CQL Mini Hotpot (Burwood, NSW)220158
CQL Mini Hotpot (Burwood, NSW)
CQL Mini Hotpot (Burwood, NSW)
CQL Mini Hotpot (Burwood, NSW)

I got myself the beef soup for my base. I was tempted to order the chili soup but was told it was really hot. So what I did was mix a few condiments: chili, ginger, garlic and sesame oil and added it to my beef soup as I was going for a Korean stew. Some of the meats I chose included beef, lamb and fish balls.

CQL Mini Hotpot (Burwood, NSW)

Such a comforting dish on a cold day. 

CQL Mini Hotpot (Burwood, NSW)

Not in the mood for hot pot? They also serve plated dishes. On our first visit, we tried their BBQ Spare Ribs and Seafood Noodle Soup. Both were great-tasting and full of flavour.

CQL Mini Hotpot (Burwood, NSW)
CQL Mini Hotpot (Burwood, NSW)

A 2-hour time limit is given for the hot pot buffet and it was enough time to catch up with friends over good food.

CQL Mini Pot
117 Burwood Road
Burwood NSW 2134 
Phone: 02 9745 4039

Had dinner with girlfriends last night but as usual, I arrive early and have my “Me” time at a cafe before meeting up with them for dinner. I was glad that my favourite stationery cafe, My Sweet Memory (MSM), wasn’t busy so I was able to get a table easily. I comfortably parked my things at one of the bar tables they had. 
They’ve changed a few of their interiors and I like the new ones better. They still have the normal tables but on one side they have the bar tables and stools. I love their colourful bar stools as they are the perfect height and they were comfortable to sit on.

I got myself a refreshing Iced Coffee and Red Velvet Cupcake to accompany me while I write. Some “Me” times I’d spent staring into nothing or watch people passing by. But yesterday, I was in the mood to write so I brought my laptop with me.

Their Red Velvet Cupcake was a contradiction of sorts. Their cream cheese icing was thick and a bit runny, the top portion of the cupcake was moist but the bottom was dry. I enjoyed half of it nonetheless because it had the right amount of sweetness.

One of the things we notice when having Iced Coffee in Korean cafes is that their iced coffees usually mean that it would have a scoop of ice cream in it. It’s like double the fun when I order them because I get to have my coffee and ice cream all in just one cup.

I bought a bottle of water from them too as I fancied the shape of their bottled water. It’s such a space saver because it’s thin. I can re-use it for a few times and easily place inside my bag. Not bulky at all! 🙂
MSM is a favourite after-dinner place of my friends and I. Every time we have dinner at Strathfield, we hang out here to have coffee, tea and hot chocolate.

Sweet moments with oneself and with loved ones.  That’s how we’re making memories at MSM Cafe.

My Sweet Memory (MSM) Cafe
3 & 4 Symond Arcade
12 Churchill Avenue, Strathfield NSW 2135
Strathfield Branch Facebook Page

There’s always a first time for everything and I think this is our first time to have yogurt at a restaurant. I’ve seen yogurt cafes in the Philippines when we vacationed there last year but we never had the chance to try it then. This year, Sydney Metro is starting to have more yogurt stores which is a great thing.  Aussies now have more options for dessert: chocolate cafes, coffee boutiques, patisseries, ice cream parlours, tea salons, Asian dessert cafes, milk tea stores and now, yogurt cafes!

After our lunch at Beauty and the Beast Cafe & Restaurant in Strathfield, we noticed a new establishment near the train station. Instead of having dessert at Hello Happy, we decided to have yogurt for dessert.

Yogurberry, from the words yogurt and berry, started in a small town in Korea in 2004. In three years, they expanded into 50 outlets in Korea. Later on, they opened stores in USA, China, Malaysia, Brazil, Sudan, UAE, Bolivia, Paraguay, India, Pakistan, Kuwait, Nigeria, Panama, and Australia.
Yogurberry (Strathfield, NSW)
Their newest store in Strathfield is attractive and colourful that’s why we can’t help but hang out and have a cup of yogurt. 
Yogurberry (Strathfield, NSW)
We eat yogurt at home but we’re practically amateurs when it came to enjoying frozen yogurt in a cafe. It just seemed fussy at first but we’re grateful that there was a board that showed instructions on how to make our own cup of yogurt. 
Yogurberry (Strathfield, NSW)
There were two brightly-coloured cups to choose from: the blue’s bigger and the green’s on the medium side.
Yogurberry (Strathfield, NSW)
Then we moved to the yogurt dispenser which looks soooo cute because of the lighted drawings on the wall above it. You can choose from any of the different flavours of yogurt but they also have an Original Plain flavour (the unflavoured yogurt). Their flavours include chocolate, passion fruit, taro, mango, blueberry, strawberry, pomegranate, green apple, pineapple and banana.
Yogurberry (Strathfield, NSW)
I chose the Taro flavour and I was grateful that the staff was helpful enough to demonstrate how to pull down the dispenser handle. He later handed the cup to me so I can experience doing it myself. 
Yogurberry (Strathfield, NSW)

The fun part is adding the toppings of your choice to our yogurt. The toppings buffet is divided in half: sweets (a.k.a. not so healthy options) and fruits (healthy options). My eyes were fixed on the sweets hahaha, it was only a bit later when I noticed that they had fruit toppings. I was able to add a few strawberries and blueberries to our sweet toppings of M&Ms, chocolates and nuts.

Yogurberry (Strathfield, NSW)

Once finished, the cup is placed on a scale which will automatically measure the weight and its equivalent amount. Our medium-sized cup amounted to AUD$6.30.

Yogurberry (Strathfield, NSW)

It was Yogurberry‘s first week of opening in Strathfield when we visited in October.  It was a rainy day that time but we enjoyed our cold yogurt dessert. The Taro flavour is commendable. It has a good balance of sweet and sour.

Yogurberry (Strathfield, NSW)
We like their spacious branch and youthful interiors. I look forward to having dessert here again.

4 The Boulevard
Strathfield, NSW 2135
Discovered this Korean restaurant in Strathfield that also serves Japanese and Western cuisine in October. We were supposed to have brunch at our usual favourite Korean BBQ restaurant but it was still closed when we arrived. So we walked a few more steps and found Beauty and the Beast Cafe & Restaurant open with an accommodating staff who willingly accommodated us. 

On our first visit, the Husband and I enjoyed a bowl of their Pork and Tofu Kimchi Stew, Pork Tonkatsu and Clubhouse Sandwich.  We enjoyed their well-made dishes that the next time we were in Strathfield, we took our friends there too. Our friends tried their Pork Tonkatsu and Beef Bulgogi and they liked them too. On our second visit, the Husband tried their abundant Bibimbap and once again, I ordered my favourite Clubhouse Sandwich.

If you’re looking for a place that serves delicious and well-made Korean dishes, plus Japanese and Western cuisine, Beauty and the Beast Cafe & Restaurant is a dependable place that I recommend.
Beauty and the Beast Cafe and Restaurant (Strathfield, NSW)
Beauty and the Beast Cafe and Restaurant (Strathfield, NSW)
Beauty and the Beast Cafe and Restaurant (Strathfield, NSW)
Beauty and the Beast Cafe and Restaurant (Strathfield, NSW)
Beauty and the Beast Cafe and Restaurant (Strathfield, NSW)
U1/39 The Boulevard
Strathfield NSW
Phone: 02 9763 2155
Tan Viet Noodle House is another must-eat place in Cabramatta. It is so well-known that one must be prepared to queue up for a few minutes during peak hours. We had lunch with friends on our second visit to Cabramatta and since it was a hot day, we weren’t able to try any of the noodle dishes or pho. However, we enjoyed a meat feast by ordering their rice meal offerings.

Tan Viet is famous for their Crispy Skin Chicken and you must certainly try it on your first visit. The chicken’s juicy, succulent and the skin perfectly crisp goes well with their tomato rice.
Tan Viet Noodle House (Cabramatta, NSW)

Thit Heo Nuong (Vietnamese Pork Chop) had a subtle flavour of lemongrass. It’s not a spectacular dish but the juiciness of the meat and huge serving of rice gave my tummy comfort nonetheless.

Tan Viet Noodle House (Cabramatta, NSW)

Bo Lu Lac (Vietnamese Shaking Beef) was a wonderful discovery. These are lean beef cubes stir-fried in salt, pepper and oyster sauce. I want to do cook this dish at home and luckily, I found Luke Nguyen’s recipe online.

Tan Viet Noodle House (Cabramatta, NSW)
Tan Viet is a very busy place but the accommodating staff and well-made dishes are worth a visit.
Tan Viet Noodle House
Shop 3 
100 John St
Cabramatta 2166 NSW
Phone: (02) 9727 6853