Restaurants Archives | Page 20 of 20

Restaurant: Won Jo Korean BBQ (Strathfield, NSW)

8 September 2011 Ibyang Sanchez 0 Comments Category: Food, Restaurants

Our newest hang out to get our Korean cuisine fix in Strathfield is at Won Jo Korean Restaurant. Located just a few minutes away from the Strathfield Train Station, it’s convenient to stop by the area for some good ‘ol authentic Korean BBQ and more.

Restaurant: Won Jo Korean BBQ (Strathfield, NSW)

Once inside the restaurant, we felt that it’s parallel to those Korean BBQ restaurants we found in Seoul. A friendly greeting of “Annyeong Haseyo!” by the owners and staff will easily transport you to a different place.

We first dined here with another couple who loves Korean cuisine like we do. The second time around, I organized our group of friends to have dinner here so my Husband and I can share our love for Korean food with them. And Won Jo did not disappoint!

As soon as we sat ourselves on our table, they served us a set of Banchan (refers to their small dishes/side dishes). We love that the Banchan here at Won Jo are refillable. Just ask the servers for more and they will oblige. The nicest thing they did to us was the second time they served us Banchan, they gave us two sets!

My favourite of all the Banchan: Cabbage Kimchi.

There were four of us that initially arrived at the resto so while waiting, we ordered one of their appetizers, the Kimchi Pancake. We loved it. Freshly-cooked and warm. It wasn’t too spicy, just right.

There were seven of us that night so we ordered two big plates of the Combination BBQ. A plate consists of different meats: chicken, pork and beef.

Along with the BBQ, they will serve the usual vegetables to go with it.

They staff of Won Jo will help set up the BBQ and even start laying out the meat for you.

The fun part of the BBQ is that you get to enjoy cooking, eating, talking and drinking Soju with friends.

Korean BBQ will not be complete without the Jjigae (Korean Hot Pot). We ordered the Beef and Mushroom Jjigae. The soup was clear and sweet. It came with a lot of vegetables, tofu, rice cakes and soft vermicelli noodles.

Our dinner was well-spent with everyone going home with happy smiles from all the great food and company.

Won Jo Korean Restaurant

#33 The Boulevard

Strathfield NSW

Phone: 02-9746 7041

Open for lunch and dinner, 7 days a week

Korean Cafe: Hello Happy (Strathfield, NSW)

29 August 2011 Ibyang Sanchez 2 Comments Category: Food, Restaurants

My tweets while having coffee at Hello Happy:

“Having coffee at a Korean cafe immediately transports me into a different place.”

“Inside a Korean cafe, surrounded by Koreans, hearing Korean pop music…aaahh i feel like in Seoul again.”

-o0o0o-

Strathfield is one of the suburbs in Sydney Metro that has a Korea Town and the Husband and I are so glad that they have Hello Happy here. Our first Hello Happy experience was in Chatswood but Chatswood’s too far away from where we live. I’ve known for awhile that Hello Happy had a Strathfield branch but it was only two weeks ago that we found the chance to visit.

The Husband pretending to be candid.

Delicious-looking cakes.

They have mini cakes too…super cute!

One of my friends, Jojie, asked me when I shared my Tous Le Jous (Seoul, Korea) foodie entry if Sydney has a similar cake and bakery place and the answer is “Yes!” (Sorry, it took awhile to answer you, Jojie).

Hello Happy serves the yummiest cakes and pastries and makes great coffee too.

Their Strathfield branch appears to be on the more youthful side (the Chatswood branch looks more of a cafe for family) with dark lighting and cozy interiors.

I am fascinated with their little paintings on the wall.

Since we were preparing for a big Korean BBQ dinner that afternoon, the Husband and I decided to share a slice of their Chocolate Mud Cake. Rich and decadent, you can see some chocolate oozing on the side of the cake.

Caffe Latte for him and a Cafe Americano for me.

We never go home empty-handed when we visit Hello Happy. We bought three pastries and enjoyed it at home.

The Meringue Pie is an addicting wonderful creation. It’s puff pastry with meringue on top.

The Almond Croissant is another favourite of mine. Buttery croissant with ALMONDS–that’s the keyword there–ALMONDS! 🙂

The Husband enjoys the Mocha Donut, well, because it is Mocha and it had a generous topping of nuts.

Hello Happy
22 The Boulevarde
Strathfield, NSW (next to NAB)
Phone: 9715 6259

New Food Finds at Westfield Sydney : Snag Stand & Becasse Bakery

27 August 2011 Ibyang Sanchez 2 Comments Category: Food, Restaurants

Haven’t been out much since I came back from holiday in May. The Husband and I mostly spent our time hibernating at home for most part of May to June due to cold weather. We started going back to our weekly dinner dates in July and that’s when we found out that the Westfield Sydney Food Court in Level 5 and 6 became more fancy.

A new gastronomical experience was having a taste of some “haute dogs” at Snag Stand. Philip Blanco, the man behind Gloria Jeans and T2, brings sourced gourmet sausages from local butcheries and serve them with specially-baked buns for a sophisticated sausage sizzle experience.

The Husband got himself the American Classic “haute dog”. A filling wood smoked frankfurter with American Mustard, tomato sauce, onion and sweet relish on a toasted brioche roll.

Haute Dog at Snag Stand (Westfield Sydney)

Being the spicy-fiend, I got myself the Chili Dog. This “haute dog” won’t disappoint when it comes to “haute-ness”! A natural frankfurter enveloped in chili beef sauce, onions, cheese and roasted chili peppers on a toasted brioche bun.

This hotdog is so long so they cut it into half to make it easy to eat AND share!

Their chips made from 100% Tasmanian Russet Potatoes with a sprinkle of natural sea salt flakes is one of the best chips I’ve ever tasted. A great partner to their “haute dogs”.

Their hotdogs tasted a bit bland but I took into consideration that their sausages are made from low lean fat meats, all natural casings, gluten free, no artificial colours and flavours. I’m aware that the more natural the food is, the lesser flavour it can be. The little blandness is balanced out by the sauces and toppings so I didn’t really mind. I’d gladly eat these kind of hotdogs anytime and feel guilt-free.

Snag Stand

http://www.snagstand.com.au/

Level 5, Shop 5012a

Westfield Sydney

188 Pitt Street, Sydney

NSW 2000

Phone: (02) 9221 9660

-o0o0o-

On a different week, the Husband and I met up for afternoon tea and decided to try the coffee and pastries at Becasse Bakery.

We had a cup of their Cafe Mocha and shared a pastry. With just the right amount of chocolate, their Cafe Mocha was beautifully rich. I’m truly proud I live in a city where you can get good coffee in every corner and even in food courts.

Their version of Gateau St. Honore on instagram. It is a classic French dessert made of puff pastry at its base, cream puffs dipped in caramel and abundant whipped cream.

I loved this pastry!!! I knew I was meant to share it with the Husband but I ate most of it.

I can’t wait to try their other pastries soon.

Becasse Bakery

Level 5, Westfield Sydney

Sydney NSW 2000

Phone: (02) 9283 3440

Restaurant: Jackie’s Kitchen at Coex Mall (Seoul, Korea)

1 August 2011 Ibyang Sanchez 2 Comments Category: Food, I Love Seoul, Restaurants, Travel

My stories of Seoul are far from over. I have this dream of finishing all I wanted to write about Seoul in one sitting but that dream hasn’t (and probably won’t) materialized yet. So bear with me and believe me when I say, I’m working on finishing writing about our Seoul and Philippine vacation.

After spending time at the Kimchi Field Museum, we decided to have a bit of a walk in and out of Coex Mall.

Coex Mall is the largest underground mall in Asia. Inside, you’ll find lots of restaurants, and boutiques. They have an area called Megabox which consists of 16 theatres. They also have an Aquarium which is divided into four themes.

The Husband and I went out and took photos of the mall’s surrounding.

Cherry Blossom trees surrounded the area.

On our second day in Seoul, the sun was shining brightly and it felt great to be outside.

Felt the pangs of hunger and decided to go back in and have lunch at Jackie’s Kitchen.

Jackie’s Kitchen is owned by the famous Jackie Chan. The restaurant looks simple and casual, seemed like a place where young professionals have lunch during the day. Since this is Jackie Chan’s restaurant, the usual Chinese dishes are the main attraction.

We ordered the usual suspects. We start with a plate of Fried Rice abundant with lots of vegetables, prawns and meat.

The Husband and I shared an order of Pork Dimsum and Spring Rolls. The Dimsum was moist and juicy. The Spring Rolls crunchy and filling.

We learned that other than their dimsum, their noodles are a specialty too. Since we are in Seoul, we opted to try their Black Bean Noodles and it was good. The noodles were perfectly cooked and the sauce was flavourful.

The food was reasonably priced. For the four dishes, I think we only paid 26,000won. We were also lucky that the one who served us was friendly and spoke fluent English.

Jackie’s Kitchen
Inside Coex Mall
159 Samseong-dong
Gangnam-gu, Seoul