House, Surry Hills

Howdy y'all,

I was planning to post a recipe today, but was kind of on a high after looking back at my inventory of Sydney posts that I can't wait to share with you so I'll do that one next (in a few days) hehe.

Anyway, if you've done enough research about places to eat in Sydney, House and Chat Thai are two Thai restaurants that must've caught your attention, as it did mine. However, we ended up choosing House over Chat Thai this time around for two main reasons (though, I hope I get to try Chat Thai in my next visit to Sydney). They were:

1) It was also recommended by the same amazing blogger that introduced me to Porteño

2) I've read so much about their BTS (Better Than Sex) dessert that I had to try it

What I enjoyed most about eating at House is that it introduced me to a whole new world and dimension of Thai Cuisine. Specifically, Northeastern Thai cuisine. In a nutshell, the website explains that Northeastern Thai cuisine places a heavy emphasis on the use of fermented anchovies, contains very little soup/gravy and uses close to no coconut milk. Inneresting, riiight?

So NO, you wont find your usual Pad Thai, Green Curry or whatever you've been used to anywhere here. It totally broke my mindset of what I knew and expected Thai food should be and I LOVED it. Let me show you what I mean...

View outside of the restaurant (located within walking distance from Central Station)

"Nua Daed Deaw" -- Deep fried sun dried marinated beef strips served with jim-jaew dipping sauce

Tender and lots of flavour. A really appetising starter to the meal...

Sticky Rice

What a charming way to serve your rice. To me, it was more chewy than sticky. Different to the texture of glutinous rice, or "lo mai fan", served in Chinese cuisine. This long grain rice was really enjoyable to eat, well separated with a nice bite

"Tom Saap Kra Dook Aorn" -- Spicy soft pork ribs soup with lemongrass, glangal, kaffir lime leaves, Vietnamese coriander, Thai sweet basil, lime and chilli

Soup was great. The consistency was slightly thick but jam-packed with natural flavours. It was intense, but the mixture of sweet, salty, spicy and sour really opened up my appetite to keep going for the next sip. Really well balanced. Also, the soft, tender pork was simply delicious!

So much fresh ingredients that went into making just one bowl of soup. Lovely

"Yum Sea Food" -- Spicy salad of calamari, prawns, green mussels, celery, tomatoes, coriander and onion served with chilli and lime dressing

To me, the calamari in the salad was the most outstanding part of the dish. It was perfectly chewy and tender. And together with a bit of crunchy raw onions or tomatoes in one bite, DELICIOUS.

"Tum Mua Pla Krob" -- Green papaya salad with crispy anchovies, dried shrimp, beans, thai eggplant, cherry tomatoes, peanuts, garlic lime and chilli

Though we had two salads, this one tasted totally different from the one before. It had a stronger peanut flavour in the dressing but was just as delicious. Loooove crunchy young papayas. Or even mangoes, for that matter.

With the meal, they also gave a complimentary cup of raw vegetables (cucumber, green bean, lettuce, cabbage) which was SO nice to eat with all the leftover dressing from the salads.

I really enjoyed the flavour and freshness of the salads. Would love to come back and try more of the other salads one day, if possible. They've got such a wide selection.

"Larb Gai" -- Traditional Isaan salad of minced chicken with eschallots, shallots, vietnamese coriander, mind ground roasted rice, ground chilli and lime

This dish was spicy but sooo delicious to eat! Minced chicken was still tender and not overcooked. Yummo~

BTS (Better than Sex) Dessert

(can you see the syrup dripping off the sides?! sexxxxxy)

Finally, I present to you... The long awaited, one and only... BTS (Better Than Sex) Dessert *rooooaring applause from the crowd*

The BTS was so good... Sooo FRIGGIN' good............ You absolutely need to eat it with all the brioche, ice cream and syrup in each bite to fully taste this FOAHHH... I almost stood up in excitement.....

The "Pandan" ice cream served on the thick, crispy brioche was really smooth and creamy. And the "Gula Melaka" syrup, which had a slightly more roasted flavour was just incredible. You CAN NOT go wrong with putting pandan and gula melaka together, the combination is just unbeatable.

One last, glorious look at the BTS... Ooooooh... Aaaaaaah... FOAHHHHH ok, stop.

Can you see how cleanly we finished off the plate of BTS in the middle? Joy... Pure, unadulterated joy......

Overall, what I really enjoyed about the meal there (besides the BTS, of course) was that though the food was flavourful, it was still light (from the soup and salads). We didn't feel overly full, but it was just nice. Also, it was great to sit outside during the day because it was more open and the weather was perfect.

Hope to come back and try more of the other stuff on the menu because now that I've had a taste of what Northeastern Thai cuisine is like, I simply love it!! It's just a refreshing change...

Peace! =)

Yours Sincerely...

So just a few hours ago, Leaf (The Indolent Cook), a dear friend from the Food Blogging community that I've been fortunate enough to know, was just hosting a giveaway competition on her blog.

It was for this book called, "Will Write for Food" by Dianne Jacob. To participate in the lucky draw, I basically had to answer the following questions and I thought I'd just share with you my entry:

FOOD WRITING ASPIRATIONS:

My passion is to reach out to people everywhere through Food Blogging with my writing and photos. I would like to appeal to the average person, from an average person's point of view. Though I don't have any professional knowledge and experience on Food, but I believe this is what makes my point of views more personal and easy-to-relate.

I prefer to adopt a more honest, light-hearted and friendly approach in my form of writing. As far as I'm concerned, Food is always meant to be Fun and never to be taken too seriously.

At the end of the day, I truly I hope I can show people that Food really is more meaningful when it is shared and that they, too, will feel inspired to open up spaces to share Life* with other people over Food, whether at home or at a restaurant. It is for this reason that Food Blogging, to me, is more than just a hobby, but a passion.

WHAT I'M DOING TO ACHIEVE THEM:

I have begun food blogging again about a month ago and I believe that's a start. I have been dedicating time out of my week to share recipes and reviews and can only hope that people find it just as Fun to read as it was for me to write.

At the same time, I feel very strongly about showing the same support and encouragements that I have been so blessed to receive during my short time of blogging to as many people out there, both in and out of the food blogging community. These people have truly made this whole experience so enjoyable for me and has reaffirmed me of the reasons I do the things that I do on my blog.

My plan is to keep blogging for a very, very long time. Why stop now, right? It's been great so far and I'm sure it'll only keep getting better. It is a journey and I hope to find growth in my writing and pictures continuously over time.

I guess what completely caught me by surprise was how convicted I felt about every single word that I wrote. I totally didn't expect it as I thought I was just writing words that came to mind, only to realise that they were words that came from the heart. To be honest, I'm still a bit shaking from that.

I know I've been very "interested" in Food Blogging for a very long time, but I wasn't exactly sure why. Sometimes you never know how you really feel about something until you actually write them out, don't you? One of those times when I'm reminded by how powerful journaling or blogging can be.

Anyway, I don't mean to sound overly lame, but I somehow feel really blessed by this competition because it's helped me put into words and realise what I have been truly passionate about all this time.

Finally, all I want to say is that I feel really thankful I am to all of you who has allowed me to share my Food Journey with you on this space. Whether you're a blogger, reader or just anyone with a hungry stomach who keep coming back, you've certainly made this dream come true for me! And maybe, just maybe, I can be so lucky as to sit down and share a meal with each of you one day. Just give me a holla and I'm there.

Thanks again for everything!

Much Love,

Winston.

Porteño, Surry Hills

Hey all,

Kickin' off the series of Sydney Restaurant reviews with this meal that we had on our first night in Sydney. One of the many great places recommended by a dear friend in the food blogging community (based in Sydney), this restaurant has really become one of our highlights of the ENTIRE trip! (It's so great to have foodie friends that you trust and whose opinions you really respect in different places around the world)

Next to our dinner at Marque, our meal at Porteño was HANDS DOWN our most cherished, highly missed and talked about meal of the entire trip. And we had a LOT of really great meals during the whole trip to choose from! Was it better? Debatable. But definitely most memorable.

Porteño is an Argentinian Grill restaurant. That's right, Argentinian Grill... We weren't sure what it was, never had anything like it before, but boy oh boy... Everything that night was PERFECT, alright! After the meal, just saying Argentinian Grill makes us go bonkers. Argentinian Grill... Argentinian Grill... Argentinian Grill... Alright, enough.

Though, please don't be silly like me and think that people in Argentina grill meat very differently from every other part of the world. It's just that this place serves Argentinian food and also has a grill. Heh ;p

The signature dish at this restaurant is definitely the roast suckling pig and lamb. This is something you HAVE to order and you can see it at almost every table in the restaurant. First thing every day at the restaurant, the pig and lamb are roasted on the open fire pit for at least 8hrs up until service time. Heavenly, is the word, by the way.

Amazing sight, no?

The interiors were very classic and welcoming with a strong Spanish Casa feel to it, which I loved.

I'm glad I went to dinner with these two buddies of mine. Because there were lots of exotic dishes that I REALLY wanted to try such as pate, blood sausage, sweetbread and so did they. Awesome. On to the food...

"Pan De Casa" -- House Baked Bread with Olive Oil & Pork Pate

Pate was very smooth but actually wished the taste of liver would be stronger for this one. Maybe it was cause it was almost 9pm (long wait for dinner lol), but our bread rolls were really solid and a bit too burnt. Though, I didn't mind because I'm pretty much used to this at most places? Would be much different if you ate at the start of the night.

Pate with Chimichurri and Salsa as condiments on bread

Enjoyed the chimichurri a lot, a classic Argentinian condiment. Very fresh and spicy too. Also eaten with the other meat dishes to come.

Salsa was really great as the acid really helped to "cut" through all the fats we ate so we wouldn't feel as bloated as we normally would.

"Repollitos de Brusela Frito" -- Crispy Fried Brussel Sprouts with Lentil and Mint

Another signature dish of the restaurant. Even if you're not a brussel sprouts lover (which I am), try it! You could taste the crunch from each layer of this tiny cabbage and the lentils tasted amazing too. Yummo~

"Mollejas De Corazon" -- Deep-fried Veal Sweetbread

As soon as I saw this item on the menu, I knew I HAD to order it! Thankfully my friends were up to try it too, phew! Correct me if I'm wrong, but sweetbread is a very loose term for many things including brain, glands and some other innards of the animal. The one we had was the pancreas.

I loooved the sweetbread!! It was so crispy on the outside but really creamy and chewy on the inside, with a lingering aftertaste too YUM! Tasted a bit like fried mackerel/sardine.

"Morcilla" -- Blood Sausage with Peppers in Garlic

This was also really nice, we loved it a lot. Though it was very rich (you can feel it from the first bite) but it had a deep and intense flavour, delicious!

For others, this was not as rich as the sweetbread but I guess it depends in which order you had the food. I had this later after 2 pieces of sweetbread, so I felt it more

Note: Please do not to take more than one piece per person for the sweetbread and blood sausage. Trust me or you might feel really bloated after

"Cordero A La Cruz" -- 8 hour Woodfired Free Range Lamb

Ahh.. As soon as "Hero Dish #1" hit the table, eyes were lit and jaws were dropped. And let me tell you, this lamb was craaazy good!!! The texture is just as soft and moist as rare meat but it had no blood at all! "The effect of slow cooking over an open fire for many hours", I thought. Slightly chewier than the pork, but still very, very good.

And the skin was sooo crazy thin and crispy and all the fats melted instantly in your mouth! RICH, but oh so gooood...

"Chanchito A La Cruz" -- 8 hour Woodfired Free Range Suckling Pig

Pork was another ripper of a dish. The meat was just sooo soft (just like the lamb) and full of the meaty flavour of the pork. Pink, but completely cooked through. I've never had pork that tasted this soft.

A big, thick piece of meat that just breaks apart so easily in your mouth in just a few bites. What a memorable sensation of pork. Wow wow wooow.... Loved them both, not a single dry meat on the table.

If I had to pick, skin was better for the Lamb and meat was better for the Pork. Mmmmmm...

Ouuu yeahhhh~~~~

Big smiles from every one after a truly unforgettable meal =)

So, if you live in Sydney or are visiting this beautiful city and haven't been to Porteño yet, I suggest that you give this place a try!

I guarantee that you will find this meal just as enjoyable/unforgettable as we did. Though, the dishes can be very filling and rich so please order accordingly. We solved this problem by going straight for supper/dessert at Meetfresh in the city. Bright thinkers, we are.

Have fun, you guys!! =D

Note to diners:

(i) This place has got a very, very long waiting queue so please be prepared, but it really is worth the wait

(ii) I highly recommend going in groups of at least 5 to be able to taste the amazing variety of dishes that they offer without paying/eating too much, like we did

The quantity of food we ordered was just nice for 5 ppl, despite having only 3 eaters (other friend joined later but didn't eat). We were visiting Sydney so we didn't mind being excessive because we came all the way and wanted to sample as much as we could. If you can, try and avoid this so you can enjoy your meal a bit more =)

Brahim's Beef Rendang

Hello all,

Back with a recipe, as promised. But before I get into it, I'd like to take this chance to thank every one of you who has "Liked" The Hungry Excavator's Facebook Page. I really appreciate it and I truly hope I get to share a meal with each and every one of you one day.

Not many of you know this, but the reason why I'm so humbled is because this blog has actually been around for awhile, collecting dust, mainly. As much as I've always wanted to, I've never actually had the chance to blog recipes/reviews/pictures properly because I've constantly been too swamped by the amount of coursework I get as an Engineering student for many years.

It wasn't until recently about a month ago, that I finally made an active decision to change that and dedicate more time to do things here the way I've always envisioned to from the start =)

Thus, you can say that "The Hungry Excavator 2.0" was re-launched with my first "proper" post, beginning with the Carlton Community Cookbook Photoshoot about a month ago. And things could not have been better since then. I'm so happy that I'm finally doing this right and am enjoying every minute of it!

So, before I do anything else, I want to thank you all for your support through this journey and for growing with me as I try my best to improve in my ways of sharing Life* with people everywhere through Food. I hope you all come back and feel inspired in one way or another through this space.

Also, please feel free to leave a comment cause your words really do make my day =)

________________________________________

Anyway, back to the post. This Beef Rendang Recipe is really delightful. One of the many recipes that I've tried by Ellie of Gourmand Recipes. I love it so much because it's easy and I've always, always preferred my Rendangs dry, less saucy and not to have coconut milk. The softened kerisik (after cooking) is delicious and gives an additional texture to the dish, which I absolutely love.

When buying desiccated coconut, pick the finest one you can find in your local Asian grocery, they're so cheap. I think they've got two kinds: "shredded coconut" or "coconut paste", I used the latter because it's finer and easier to cook. I think the former is more for things like Lamingtons... I think.

Bought my paste and grated coconut from Yahweh Asian Grocery, near Melb Uni

And before you shun me for not making my rendang from scratch, let me explain. I know that I won't be making my own rempah paste anytime soon because of uni, but this is a very, very easy and equally satisfying alternative. I'll save that homemade stuff for the holidays.

But for now, don't beat yourself up for using store bought pastes. Because not everyone always has the time. My recipes are mostly targeted for quick, easy weeknight meals anyway (though I will share more fun, experimental recipes from time to time).

So when I actually DO use store-bought products, I make sure that they're good quality, such as these. For Rendang, I only use the brand, Brahim's, because I found it to give better flavour. Though if I were to do things differently, I would soak a few small dried chillies in hot water, pound them and add them to the paste. Only because I did find it a bit mild and I like my Rendang piping hot.

Overall, very tasty and happy with this nonetheless and I'm sure you'll love it too. I made this for a friend and we both enjoyed it a lot. Do try and take good care, y'all! =)

Brahim's Beef Rendang Recipe

(adapted from this recipe by the former Almost Bourdain)

Ingredients

1 packets Brahim's Rendang Paste

450g beef (brisket, gravy or chuck steak)

1 cup desiccated / grated coconut

2 cups hot boiling water

6-8 cloves garlic, cut into slivers

4 tbsp oil

Method

To make kerisik: Fry the grated coconut in a non-stick frying pan (without oil) on low heat. Keep stirring so all the grated coconut are browned evenly. It will take about 5 minutes (depending on size) to turn it into deep golden brown and you can smell the aroma. Dish and set aside.

Cut the beef in 5 cm / 2" cubes. Heat oil in a wok, add garlic and fry until slightly browned. Add beef and fry until all sides are browned. Remove beef from wok.

Add rendang paste to the wok and cook until the paste is bubbling. Add the kerisik and hot boiling water. Bring to a boil and add the beef and continue cooking until it's boiling. Turn down the heat, cover with lid and let it simmer in low heat for 2 hours. Stir it occasionally. If liquid dries up, add a bit more water.

After 2 hours of simmering, the sauce should be thickened and the meat should be very tender. Now turn back to medium-high heat, lid off and continue to stir-fry it until the sauce is completely thickened and dried. Serve with steamed rice, roti or nasi kunyit.

2 long hours of patience graciously rewarded =)

My dinner that night -- Brahim's Rendang with Stir-fried Celery with Prawns =)

In Malay, we say "Sedaaaap~" which means, "deliciouuus~"… Nom nom nom… Ciao!

Snacking in Sydney!

Hello, everyone!

Just got back from our Sydney Food Trip and still a bit knackered, to be honest. But great fun was had, and there's so much to blog about so I'm excited!

This trip would've been my third time to Sydney in four years. After my first two trips, I felt like I was pretty much done for a while... But after seeing/reading/drooling over all the food that I've seen on TV/Internet since then, I felt like I really have to make another trip up there!

After all, my first trip was spent pretty much doing all the touristy things. Second, was for the Hillsong Conference. Now, my third, has to be all dedicated to FOOD! This time, being a Food Trip, we really did eat non-stop from morning till night. That's why I've got so many "in between meals" snacks to share about, which I've compiled into this post.

And when we weren't eating, we were just lazing around in the sun, what a bunch of fatties. So anyhoo, I'm going to start off my first series of Sydney posts with snippets of the snacks we ate in between our meals. This wasn't all of them, but just the ones I thought worth sharing. Will get back to posting recipes and reviews from the other amazing restaurants I ate in Sydney, including Australia's current No.1 Restaurant, MARQUE!

Lots of scheduled posts from hereon, so don't forget to keep coming back! Have fun, everybuddy! =D

Mick's Bakehouse, Westfield CBD Gourmet Food Hall

We had trouble finding the place at first, but the Gourmet Food Hall is at the top floor of the shopping centre, at the opposite side of Myers

Some of the most golden pies I've ever seen

Classic Beef Pie

(I'd like to say Stroganoff cause of the cream??)

Pastry was just okay but filling was really nice. Good flavours and liked the thickness of the sauce, nice consistency. I could have a whole bowl of just the filling themselves. Yum

Surf 'n' Turf Pie

We found the mince rather salty and wished there were more prawns. But really loved the soft creamy cheese you get occasionally from each bite when eating this

Chatime, Westfield CBD Gourmet Food Hall

Passionfruit Green Tea

Refreshing. Totally quenched my thirst. Had this only cause according to them, was their number 1 drink. I had the Roasted Milk Tea with Pearls a few days later and thought they were fantastic. Do try

Website: here

Meet Fresh, Sydney Chinatown

Supreme Mango Crushed Ice

Huge portion and lots of mango, but I thought it was okay. Definitely makes for a refreshing dessert in Summer. I don't know, I still think that when it comes to Mango desserts, it really does come down to the Mango you use. And we all know that Mangoes aren't exactly cheap or in season in Australia all year round. Could do with a little less ice too. Just my humble opinion anyway, don't be hatin'

Taro Balls with Sweet Potato, Barley and Pearls

This, I enjoyed a bit more. Just like the glutinous rice balls or "tang yuan" you ate at home but with a faint taste of taro and sweet potato. I really enjoyed all the other ingredients and never had a dish with all of these together. Come to think of it, it probably would have been better to have this dessert warm instead of cold

Workshop Espresso, Sydney CBD

Quaint little cafe directly opposite of QVB on George Street. Immediately wanted to try it

Standard Latte and Hazelnut "Lobster Tail"

The beans tasted nice, but I couldn't help but find the coffee a bit thin and watery. But then again, I'm no coffee expert, no. My friends felt it too. But when we went back the next day, it was a different barrista, so.......

On the other hand, that "lobster tail" pastry was SO GOOD. It totally piqued my interest to try as soon as I saw it. I don't know what they used, but you could taste all the layers in each bite because it was so firm but insanely crunchy. The softened Nutella in the middle was such a joy. LOVED this! Nice, tiny snack with your coffee, too.

Bondi Surf Seafoods, Bondi Beach

I came here for one reason only and nothing else: Fried Mars Bars. I had this last time I was in Sydney and was HOOKED. Not sure if it's true, but this place was believed to be the pioneer of Fried Mars Bars in Australia. Though you can get it at many places in Sydney and some in Melbourne now, I still really wanted to revisit this place for nostalgic reasons.

Fried Pineapple Rings, Fried Banana, Fried Mars Bars

I did not care for anything else, but the Fried Mars Bars, to be honest. And they were actually better than when I last had them! Huh. Mainly cause the batter was so much crispier. I don't eat Mars Bars at all, but this was an exception. The way you bite into the crunchy exterior dusted with icing sugar to get to the soft, melted chocolatey filling..... Heaven

Please try this if you've never had this in Sydney before

Website: here

Hurricane Express, Bondi Beach

For me, I've been to the restaurant twice before this and there wasn't anything much I'd like to eat at the restaurant besides the ribs, which makes for a great snack too. So, I actually prefer buying them from their takeaway restaurant just next door. Also, it's about $10 cheaper for a full rack. Score!

Though I must say that the Bondi branch was significantly better than the Darling Harbour branch. Or was it just a once off bad experience I had there that time. There were just too many people, they were rushing us in and out and in the end, our ribs came out SO dry. This time at Bondi, it was great

Half 'n' Half: Lamb and Pork ribs

Sauce was delicious and ribs were basted beautifully. Tasted like southern, smokey BBQ with a hint of Ketchup and much more. Lamb was slightly tough, but I actually really liked it that way. Ribs was as you say, falling off the bones. GREAT snack, just eating ribs with your hands by the beach

Gumshara Ramen, Sydney Chinatown

Garlic Tonkatsu Ramen

Finally, another place I really wanted to try and glad I did. I liked that the soup was thick (from fats and collagen?) and that they didn't use MSG. Unmistakable pork flavour from first sip. Though to be honest, a bit too "porky" because it did have a bit of the smell as most pork in Australia tend to have. Hmm...

Not to sound pompous or anything, I couldn't help but feel slightly turned off by the hygiene of the food court. Would have enjoyed it more if I were eating at somewhere cleaner =/. Overall, pretty good and natural flavours

Baskin Robbins Ice Cream, Circular Quay

Edit: Loooool sorry, everybody. I was a complete airhead earlier and have mistaken this place for Ben n Jerry's, when it's actually Baskin Robbins. Thanks to my friend who actually brought it to my attention *shy* ;p

Berries Cheesecake and Caramel Pecan (???)

Sorry, couldn't remember the exact names of the flavours. But you'll know which it is if you see it. I liked the cheesecake one a lot and the flavours were fun. The other, not so much. Too sandy for me.

Website: here

Overall, it was a great trip filled with fun, food, laughter and I'm glad I got to spend my time with these amazing people.

Looking forward to my next visit back! Because, Sydney, your food and weather has been really incredible.

As mentioned, there will be lots of scheduled posts coming up. Next one will be a recipe, and then back to posting food from restaurants in Sydney, so do stay tuned! Take care, everyone!

Hope it was a fun post for you as it was for me! =)