Pu'er, Waterloo

If there's one thing I can't resist, it's got to be yum cha style dumplings. So it was with great enthusiasm that we wandered over to Pu'er in Waterloo on the corner of Bourke and Danks street to have some steamed dumpling goodies at night. Pu'er offers a range of food from dumplings to larger share plates, all with a Western flair.

Scallop, $9.00

To start off with, I couldn't resist ordering the scallop dumplings - a Hong Kong style dumpling of prawn, scallop and baby bamboo all encased in a yellow egg pastry. Whilst the skin was a tad thick for my liking, the filling was delicious, had fantastic flavor and just reminds me why I'm a sucker for all dumplings with prawn and scallops.

Hong Kong mini burgers, $15.00

The waitress highly recommended these mini burgers and aren't they just adorable? Smaller than the size of my palm! Filled with a miniature panko crumbed pork fillet, a house smoked chilli paste, hoisin and baby cress, this cute number was a tasty little morsel that was not dry like I expected (being miniature and all). A bit oily, but at least the buns were deep-fried to a wonderful crisp and went really well with the filling inside.

Wagyu tacos, $16.00

Phew, these were spicier than expected! But that chilli kick paired very well indeed with the juicy wagyu beef. All wrapped by a soft bun, this is the perfect finger food snack to knock down whilst having a few drinks on a Friday night.

Three cup drunken duck, $26.00

Boy do you get bang for buck with these two giant duck legs sitting on the plate. Braised to perfection, the duck meat fell off the bone, yet still retained it's juiciness and flavor. Using traditional methods of Chinese braising with shao xing, soy and sugar, this dish really kicked home to my Shanghainese roots - almost like my mum makes at home ;)

Caramelised Berkshire pork belly, $24.00

And as always, it is always a bit risky to order things that are cooked on an often basis at home. I cannot fault the cooking, as the pork remained super tender and soft, but it was lacking that punch of strong soy and caramelized sugar I was looking for. The egg was a nice traditional touch but unfortunately was also lacking in flavor.

Chocolate brownie, $10.00

Whilst I don't normally tend to order brownies at restaurants as I find them to be more or less the same, our friendly waitress said these were normally a hit with the patrons so why not give it a go? For me, it was quite the standard brownie - chocolatey and dense. Perhaps a bit on the dry side but overall what you would expect from a chocolate brownie. I wasn't a fan of the red wine jus but it was the salted palm sugar ice-cream that blew me away. It was the perfect Asian twist on the standard Western salted caramel and truth be told, I forewent the brownie just to eat this ice-cream :P

Coconut & kafffir lime leaf sorbet, $10.00

This single dessert, hands down, was my favourite dish of the evening. Despite being stuffed to the brim (we were warned there was going to be a lot of food!), I managed to find extra stomach space just to eat this. The zing of the kaffir lime made the sorbet something special, seriously. It was even surrounded by pieces of young coconut - a definite win for me :D And the black sticky rice was subtlely sweet, still retained a nice bite to the palette and was wonerful with the sorbet or even dipped into the coconut water syrup on the side.

Quinton spoke very highly of the teas so how could we resist trying one? We told him to surprise us and he came out with the Osmanthus Phoenix ($9.00) which I unfortunately forgot to take a photo of :( But take my word that it was very pretty and beautifully presented! It was fragrant with the flavours of Osmanthus and had a delicate sweet aftertaste that lingered in the mouth. A good finish to our meal, and certainly helped with the digestion considering all that food we ate!

Overall, we ended our meal on a highlight with the sorbet which I would very, very happily demolish an entire pint of if I had one. The atmosphere was very cosy on a Thursday night, making it a cute little date place and service was nothing short of friendly. You even have the option of sitting half outside on the balcony! Which does have roofing by the way, so don't you worry about getting rained on :P Recommended if you're looking for a nice, relaxing night out with plenty of teas under your disposal!

Crystal Noir and friend dined as guests of Pu'er courtesy of Quinton Van Schalkwyk & Siev Gour of Pu'er. Opinions however, are entirely her own.

Pu'er

20A Danks St

Waterloo, NSW, 2017

Opening Hours

Tuesday-Friday
Lunch 12:00 - 3:00pm 

Dinner 6:00pm - late

Saturday & Sunday
12:00pm - late

Jazz City BBQ, Darlinghurst

I think it has all been a while since the anticipated opening of Jazz City BBQ with the promise of lots and lots of barbeque meat! LB Slaya, Cassanova, KC and I arrived early this Thursday night just a little before 6, perhaps a little too early as they hadn't even opened their doors yet (we were just a tad too keen). But once inside, we instantly felt like we were in one of those cute American diners with the red booths lining the walls of the small restaurant.

Menu

The menu is short and concise, offering five items with the promise of Southern American smokey char. It's simple really, you just let Chef Dan McGuirt exactly how much of each meat you want and he'll cut and weigh it for you!.

Dan slicing up the beef ribs

Are you guys digging his shirt or what? When he was about to cut us our beef brisket, he asked us, "Would you like the fattier or leaner cut? I would recommend the fattier cut, it's much more tender and juicy." How could we disagree with the man?

Housemade sauces

There are plenty of sauces for you sauce junkies to choose from. And if you're anything like us, you're just going to go for the whole shebang and may as well try everything!

Clockwise from top: cornbread / complimentary sliced white bread / pork ribs / beef ribs / beef brisket / coleslaw / complimentary raw onion and pickles / pulled pork (centre)

While I did love the flavour of the pork rib, it was a tad on the dry side, as was the pulled pork. But with all the sauces on offer, may as well drench it with that, hey? And let me give you a little tip - ride the sauce rainbow. You may be asking, what the heck is that? Mixing all of them together of course! The beef brisket was indeed awesomely fatty as promised and fat is flavour when it comes to barbequed meats. I was pleasantly surprised by the beef rib as I normally prefer pork ribs over beef ones but this was beautifully smokey with every bite. The meat slid of the bone real easy as we bit it straight off the bone - gotta get those fingers dirty when eating ribs! But what I really fell in love with were those pickles. Sweet with a little punch of sour, I couldn't help going back for more. And that cornbread. Soft, fluffy like a good muffin, and slightly sweet, our only regret was ordering one to share. Next time, one for each person!

I forgot to take a picture of the pecan pie we had. Though tiny, it was a pretty sweet end to the meal. Unfortunately they didn't have key lime pie on the menu tonight which was not a problem for us. We ventured down to Jazz City Milk Bar for dessert!

Banana cream pie, $10.00

I have nothing to say but this.

Oh. My God.

THIS WAS AMAZING. SO AMAZING. Well worth the trek here. A crispy base, layers of vanilla custard chocked full of banana pieces in between, along with whipped cream on top, made this dessert so delicious. The ripe banana really made this pie - it felt like I was eating banana custard!

Satisfied with the ending to our Southern style meal of comfort foods, we slowly walked back towards the city. But not before making a pit stop at Hungry Jacks because Cassnova and KC have black holes for stomachs. Next time, that key lime pie will be eaten :D

Jazz City BBQ
200 Goulburn St
Surry Hills, NSW, 2010

Opening Hours 
Lunch Wednesday - Friday: 12:00noon to 2:00pm
Dinner Wednesday - Saturday: 6:00pm to 10:00pm (or until Sold Out)
Closed Sunday, Monday and Tuesday 





Jazz City Milk Bar
Republic 2 Building Courtyard
Palmer Street (between Liverpool and Burton Street)
Darlinghurst, NSW 2010

Opening Hours
Lunch  Thursday-Saturday: 12:00-2:00pm
Dinner  Tuesday-Saturday: 6:00-10:00pm
Closed Sunday & Monday

Cuckoo Callay, Newtown

Spring time means brunch time! But let's be honest, wouldn't you brave the cold winter weather for a nice cosy brunch anyway? That's exactly what my sister and I did to try out the super easy to find Cuckoo Callay right next to Newtown station for a sisterly date.

We were welcomed warmly inside despite the rainy dreary weather outside by Ella, who brightly said it's still better than having it rain all day like it does back in England! The interior deco is incredibly kooky and I was incredibly intrigued by this clock so we just had to sit right underneath it. The place is decked out with mirrors to make the space seem a lot more spacious. An ingenious idea really.

Skim mocha, $4.00

One of the best mochas I've had for a while. A nice kick of chocolate but could still taste the coffee. Digging that thick layer of frothy goodness on top.

Salted caramel thickshake, $7.00

Being a little bit of an addict to salted caramel, this one had to be ordered. And damn was it good. My sister took a sip, and with widened eyes, she proceeded to hug the mug and not let me anywhere near it. It was definitely wonderfully sweet, and that's what we're all looking for in a thickshake, no? :D

The brunch spread

I really wasn't sure how we were going to finish it all - look at all the food!

#Hashtag browns, $17.00

How pretty does this dish look! There was a choice of bacon steak, smoked salmon or grilled haloumi and I couldn't go past some cheesy goodness. This one was a lot more enjoyable than other haloumi cheeses I've had where it squeaks against your teeth. Anyone else have that pet peeve? Makes me feel the same way as writing on a blackboard with chalk - not pleasant. But this one still had its bounce, but no squeakiness. Yay! A noticeable crunch sound was made as I cut into the massive hashbrown - a telltale sign that it's all about the crispy casing :D The lemon pepper avocado, pea puree, potato, haloumi and egg when eaten together was one tasty dish.

Pulled duck, $22.00

I always love trying duck cooked in different ways and whilst pulled pork is a common one to see around restaurant, pulled duck isn't. And look at the shear size of the mountain of duck! Duck a plenty! I loved the spices that seasoned this dish and the chill jam really gave it that subtle spicy kick that definitely won't be too much for even the biggest chilli-phobics out! That capsicum relish is something to rave about in itself though. My sister, who normally hates capsicum, said that whilst the pulled duck by itself was amazing, the capsicum relish made it even better.

That's the way the cookie crumbles, $11.00

At this point, we were both incredibly stuffed but Ibriham was much too kind and said that one of the chefs were already making us dessert. I suppose there's nothing to say at this point but "Onwards, soldier!" But I sure am glad I made extra stomach space for this because the brownie was super fudgey just the way I like it. And perfect with the vanilla icecream and crispy cookie crumble! Ella mentioned to us that it was a tradition she learnt growing up with her family where if you poured warm cream over, it provided a nice surface to put any toppings you wish over it.

Sometimes I do wish I wasn't quite as small and had more stomach space because both my sister and I were rolling out the door, filled to the brim with delicious food. Cuckoo Callay is definitely a welcome addition to the Newtown cafe scene. Despite the fact that Newtown is filled with coffee fiends, there seems to be a lack of fantastic cafes - not like the Surry Hills region! But Cuckoo Callay has definitely made it's mark. I know I'll definitely be making stops by for some coffee!

Crystal Noir and friend dined as guests thanks to Ibriham and Ella, owners of Cuckoo Callay. Opinions however, are entirely her own.

Cuckoo Callay
Newtown Train Station
Newtown, NSW, 2042
www.cuckoo-callay.com.au

Opening Hours
Monday - Friday: 6:00am - 4:00pm
Saturday: 8:00am - 4:00pm
Sunday: 8:00am - 3:00pm

Eats Lately #4

This past month has been a busy one, filled with all things sweet! I think it's time to do a little round up of all that is bright and sugar related :)

Cadbury's Marvellous Creations range has always been something I thought of as extremely clever. They've marketed this range so it looks super fun. I can't help but be drawn into their little chocolate worlds whenever I see one of the ads. Their new range is even more fun if that's possible. Thanks to Holly Frendo of Red Agency for sending over a couple of samples for me to try before they hit up stores this month!

I love all things cola flavoured and I love all things chocolate but combined together? I think it was a bit too odd for me with the whole sugary candy and creamy chocolate combo.

What was more down my alley was the caramel shakes! It felt like I was eating solid caramel milkshake bits. If M&Ms had crunchy bits in it and were caramel flavoured, this would be it.

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Another company who just launched their Spring collection is Tupperware. I sure woke up bright and early to get a preview of their new range. But there's nothing better than starting an early morning with a breakfast of yogurt and fresh fruits.

The hot brekkie (though not sugar related in any way!) was simple yet went down a treat.

The Tupperware collection is super bright - much like spring! You can't help but be happy if you brought your food out in these cute containers, no? And are the bags adorable or what? I can just imagine the big smiles on the faces of the kids using these bags. Thanks Kaaran Gaffney and Vanessa Waingent from AMPR Public Relations for hosting such a lovely breakfast with fantastic views of Bondi Beach :)

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And no sweet month is complete without a visit to the Pie Tin. This adventure features THREE glorious dessert pies! Yes, I went on two different occasions. Don't judge. Can I just take a moment to relive how delicious these all were? They were so different, but respectively amazing.

Whipped lime pie, $8.50

The whipped lime pie was delightedly zesty yet creamy at the same time. Is this what the American's call key lime pie?

Oreo cookie pie, $8.50

And oh my god the oreo cookie pie... This is definitely for you diehard Oreo fans! Oreos and cream everywhere!

Tim Tam pie, $8.50

Did someone mention Tim Tam heaven? I'm not sure if any exists, but I feel like if any did, this would be it. This slice of pie was chock full of Tim Tam bits left, right and centre. So rich and chocolately. All three are not for the faint-hearted, as the cream content is very, very high. But if you are not afraid of the delicious dairy goodness that is cream, I highly recommend them all :P

And that's a wrap up of my super sweet month! Hmm, I feel the oncoming of diabetes... Better tone it down a notch with the sugar :P

Twisted Yogurt, Bondi Westfield

Frozen yogurt has been a thing that sort of hit an insane all time high last year but I feel as though the initial craze has died down a lot since then with a lot of chain stores closing down. One that hitched a ride off the American bandwagon before the craze started is Twisted yogurt which has been open since 2010 by mother of three, Cass Spies, who was kind enough to invite me to try out her new Superfood menu.

L to R: Rise & Shine, The Green Machine, Muscleberry, $8.50 each

Smoothies are such an awesome way to get in your daily dose of fruit and veggies and they always taste so delicious too!

Rise & Shine was the first smoothie we tried of the day. We all know how much of a sucker I am for all things tropical so I thoroughly enjoyed this concoction of almond milk, pineapple, coconut, mango, froyo and of course, a scoop of protein because we all know our muscles love that stuff.

The Green Machine is for the health nuts out there and is completely dairy free. The coconut water, mango nectar, spinach, mango, banana and passionfruit makes me feel like I should reward myself by having something so healthy!

The last of the smoothies was the Muscleberry which was a blend of skim milk, blueberries, bananas, froyo and protein. I enjoyed this one even though the predominant flavour was the protein :P

L to R: Pink Pitaya and Acai smoothie bowls

Aren't the colours absolutely stunning? And the best part is, it's all natural from the pink pitaya and acai! The pink pitaya was super refreshing and I felt like I was eating a super thick smoothie - the best kind really. Except with no added sugar whatsoever and is completely raw. So the sweetness is all from the 100% natural coconut water and fruit she uses to blend this baby up.

Frozen yogurt tubs

Twisted Yogurt also sells their frozen yogurt by the tubs and they have skinny flavours for you health conscious out there. Sweetened with only stevia, you barely taste any difference in flavour. It was definitely icier and more reminiscent of sorbet, though that may possibly be because of the lowered fat content. My sister and I both agreed that the coconut was the clear favourite. They use coconut cream to make it and it was lusciously creamy and indulgent.

Date and cacao slice, coconut truffle, chocolate truffle, sesame truffle

We also got some goodies made by Jess to take home! These are the perfect little sweet snacks to eat on the go and are vegan-friendly. Me being me loved both the coconut and coconut truffle :P

I'm digging how Cass Spies is catering towards the healthier end and is promoting a healthy balanced lifestyle. Her passion towards creating a menu that is made by real and authentic ingredients is really evident in what we ate. With her latest health additions to the menu, I really think Twisted Yogurt is spicing themselves up from the stock standard froyo chains. Time to get your health on!

Crystal Noir sampled Twisted Yoghurt's new menu as a guest of Cass Spies. All opinions however, are her own.

Twisted Yoghurt
Shop 307A (opposite Woolworths)
Westfield Bondi Junction

Opening Hours
Monday - Wednesday: 9:30am - 6:30pm
Thursday: 9:30am - 9:30pm
Friday: 9:30am - 7:30pm
Saturday: 9:00am - 6:30pm
Sunday: 9:30am - 6:30pm 

Jones The Grocer 2, Sydney CBD

Don't think that I had begun neglecting my blog did we, dear readers? But the end of assessments mean I can finally update again (more like catch up on what I've been eating during my absence!). After loving Jones the Grocer so much the last time I dined there (that sticky date pudding gives me all sorts of heart palpatations every time I think about it), I was ecstatic at the opportunity to try out their new winter menu thanks to Ashley Hucker from Jones The Grocer.

L to R: Blood orange & cardamon cordial; pear & blueberry cordial, $5.50 each

We may have been given the same drink as they both looked at tasted of blueberry to me. Regardless, a wonderfully sweet and refreshing start to our meal.

Lamb cutlets, $28.00

The lamb cutlets were a beautiful blushing pink when cut. Though a tad underseasoned by itself, the eggplant relish provided a wonderful acidity that gave it that extra punch when eaten together.

Mushroom conchiglie, $17.00

You'll see me running when I hear the word mushroom, cream and pasta all in one sentence. So it was a given that we ordered the mushroom conchiglie. Creamy pasta with plenty of meaty mushroom pieces hidden beneath all that sauce is what you call a perfect pasta to sauce ratio. A sprinkling of young celery leaves and both my sister and I were all smiles.

Wedges, $8.00

These wedges were by far the crispiest wedges I've ever had. They must have been triple fried to achieve that level of crispiness!

Panna cotta, $10.00

And who ever says no to dessert? We couldn't help but giggle at the wobbliness of the panna cotta. But that's what a perfect panna cotta does, isn't it? I was glad the lemon verbena wasn't overpowering but it was strong enough to give the panna cotta that wow factor. The strawberries were doused ever so lightly in a rose syrup as well so the entire dessert was super fragrant and reminded me of flowers and spring time.

Creme brulee, $10.00

Boy am I glad I had the panna cotta first. Whilst I loved the first dessert, this one blew me away. We held our breaths before the first moment the spoon touched the blow torched sugar on top and were very satisfied with the solid crack we heard. The custard underneath was utterly beautiful and the rhubarb added an extra tang that made it almost reminiscent of yogurt - which we absolutely adored.

Our waitress, Maisy, for the evening was absolutely darling. You can't help but love her friendliness and bubbliness - it's contagious! Whilst I was very happy with the dinner menu, it's the breakfast menu I'm dying to try out. Breakfast risotto anyone?

Crystal Noir dined as a guest of Jones The Grocer courtesy of Ashley Hucker. Opinions however, are completely her own.

Jones The Grocer
Cnr Castlereagh & Market Streets
Sydney, NSW, 2000
Level 5 Westfield Sydney

Opening Hours
Monday - Saturday: 8:00am - late
Sunday: 8:00am - 7:00pm

Devon Cafe 2, Surry Hills

Having loved Devon Cafe so much the first time around, I went with a few of my uni girlfriends to do another brunch there because let's face it, nothing can beat breakfast foods, no? I've heard Devon Cafe to become very busy, but luckily for me, I've never had the issue of having to wait for a table. But that may have to do with the fact that we go during midweek.

Watermelon refresher, $8.00

Whilst I love watermelon juice, I was wary of the addition of mint as the addition of too much mint can often overpower other flavours, especially a delicate flavour like watermelon. But this was a good balance where I could taste just a subtle hit of mint and it went very well with the watermelon! I couldn't taste the apple, but I think it did make the juice sweeter. A refreshing start for what was to come.

Kaya toast, $12.50

My friends and I are all incredible suckers for anything related to coconut so all our eyes were immediately drawn to the coconut jam. The dish arrived with the coconut jam and butter oozing out, all sandwiched between two massively fat slabs of brioche. A dish like this could prove to be too rich with an excess amount of butter but it actually wasn't the case - simple and nothing short of delicious. The 63 degree eggs were poached to perfection and sat in a light soy sauce which we drizzled over our kaya toast to add a bit of saltiness to the sweetness.

Breakfast with the Sakuma's, $24.50

Give me salmon all day, every day! They managed to get so much miso flavour into this grilled king salmon and it just flaked away as I dug my fork into it. I really have to give credit to Devon Cafe for their poached eggs - each and every one of them is cooked so impeccably that the yolk always bursts as soon as you prod it. And the smoked eel croquette? So wonderfully crunchy! The radish salad was an excellent addition (to break up the rich salmon and croquette) as was the kewpi mayonnaise because let's be honest, when is kewpi mayonnaise not welcome?

My second Asian cousin gone summery, $13.00

Are you all sensing a pattern here whenever my uni friends and I eat together? Yep, this was yet another coconut dish we ordered! We knew it was a winner as soon as it was spotted on the menu - tapioca, young coconut, fresh mango, chia seeds and freeze dried lychee. There was very little room for any possible error. What I absolutely loved about this dish was how light it was to eat. I felt like I was eating something incredibly healthy but that is probably not the case :P The freeze dried lychees were like nothing I've ever had before - the texture is almost reminiscent of a flaky cereal. Fresh mango and coconut really made us all feel like we were eating summer out of a bowl.

Once again, I had an exceptional meal here at Devon. I don't have any qualms with coming back again to try some of their freshly baked goods out front! They do change their menu often, so when I go back, it will probably once again be something new so that is something I'm looking forward to :D

Devon Cafe
76 Devonshire St
Surry Hills, NSW, 2010

Opening Hours
Monday - Friday: 6:30am - 4:30pm
Saturday - Sunday: 8:00am - 3:30pm