I got myself a big bowl of Spicy Beef Stew which came with a lot of vegetables. I think there was about four small beef cubes so it was a bit disappointing. The spiciness was average, not really as hot as it looked in the photo. The soup was light and not as tasty as I hope. I think the soup would have been more tasty had they added more meat. I enjoyed it nonetheless as it was a cool night last night and it did gave comfort to my hungry tummy.

The Husband had the Beef Bibimbap in sizzling stone pot which was really very hot it burned the rice a bit (the ones at the bottom). They served a small bowl of soup with it so the Husband spilled some soup on the bowl to keep the rice from going dry or burning. Again this dish seemed bland, almost tasteless. Better to add lots of chili sauce for some flavour.

We’re not impressed with the dishes we ate last night but we’d come back one day should we have the craving for some Korean Fried Chicken. The table beside us ordered some Spicy Chicken and it looked mouth-watering indeed. 

NaruOne Korean Restaurant
375 Pitt Street, Sydney
Phone: 02 9261 2680

While I’ve bought macarons at Ladurée a few times now, sitting down to have tea and savour the goodness of their macarons with a friend is a more sweet experience altogether.

Ladurée Cafe doesn’t have an extensive menu, mostly just macarons, tea, coffee, chocolate and bubblies are offered. However, it is a good place to have a quiet moment, have a cup of beverage alone or with loved ones, as you have one or two macarons.

Instead of having tea, Tintin had a cup of Latte which came with a small block of chocolate. While I chose to have Ladurée’s Hot Chocolate. 

We each chose four macarons: Pistachio, Salted Caramel, Raspberry, Strawberry Marshmallow, Vanilla and Chocolate.

I enjoyed my Ladurée Hot Chocolate. It’s luxuriously rich and thick but brilliantly smooth. It was a bit bitter but there was no need to add sugar. For someone like me who has some kind of a limit when it comes to chocolate (I’m not really a chocoholic), the serving of Hot Chocolate was more than enough so I shared it with Tintin’s son, Tom.

While getting our orders, Alex spent a moment talking about Boon. He mentioned that other than making chocolates and managing a business, her sister, business partner and chocolatier, Fanny, have partnered with Opportunity Australia (an NGO supporting countries such as India and the Philippines) by saving a portion of their earnings to a trust fund that will aid those people earning less than two dollars a day.

Right now, their website also shows a link for those who would like to make donations for those affected by typhoon Pablo and tip bowl inside the cafe which all money will also donated to survivors of the typhoon.

While meeting successful Filipino entrepreneurs in Australia makes me always proud, I became more in awe of Alex (and Fanny) when he mentioned that in every interview and feature, they always request that it’d be mentioned that they are Filipinos. It’s great to know that they are proud of where they came from.

They try to incorporate something Filipino thru their creations. Alex showed us a bag made of chocolate which they called “Harana Bag“. They also make a Calamansi praline, which was unfortunately not availably yesterday. One of their must-try chocolate drinks is the Tskolate Ala Negros, inspired from the 19th Century sugar fields of Negros Occidental, Philippines.

I can’t remember all the pralines we chose for our Teaser Plate but we did have the Kurobiko (roasted sesame with rice crispies), a mandarin flavoured one, a coconut flavoured-one and one that had a pine nut (I’m not really sure of the kind of nut). They’re pretty to look at and tastes as wonderful.

 Boon (The Chocolate Experience)
251 Victoria Street, Darlinghurst
Phone: 02 9356 8876
Tuesday to Friday: 10:00am-7:00pm
Saturday: 10:00am-8:00pm
Sunday: 11:00am-6:00pm