George's Cafe, Burwood NSW

Hello readers, my gastronomical adventure with Nadia today brought us all the way to Burwood! 

George's Cafe is a halal Italian restaurant serving from focaccia and pasta to steak and ribs.

It looked dark and quiet from the outside when we reached there at 11am on a weekday. However towards lunchtime, a handful of customers came in throngs to this Cafe-called restaurant ;)

I ordered Boscaiola Bacon, Mushroom, Shallot with Creamy Sauce ($20.90) and Nadia went light with Potato Wedges with Sour Cream and Sweet Chilli ($13.40). My pasta was so good I could almost  finished the whole serving had I have a bigger tummy capacity :p It was very creamy and flavourful, everything was just to perfection. 

Service was fast (no other way as we were their first customer of the day!) and staff were attentive despite the vast size of the place. 

I would definitely come again to get my hands on their char grilled beef ribs with barbecue, onion and herb sauce next time around! 

El Jannah, Granville, NSW

I went all the way to Granville for lunch today with Smitha and Lin to try the local's fav, El Jannah. 

We took a direct train from Central station and stopped at Granville ($6.80). From the station, turn left to get down and you will see the restaurant right across the road from the pedestrian walkway. 

It was almost 2pm when we arrived. The queue was quite long but fast-moving. We ordered, paid, took a number, and waited at our table. The waiting time was not too bad considering the big crowd. 

All three of us decided on the 1/4 chicken ($6.90). The charcoal chicken was served with 3 pieces of Lebanese bread, garlic dip and pickles (radish and cucumber). The chicken is perfectly cooked and harmonized well with the garlic dip when eaten with bread, but I find the pickles a tad too salty. Smitha and Lin enjoyed it though :D 

Smitha also ordered a regular bowl of chips ($4) and it was scrumptious! Love it! This is her second time here and she's really looking forward to come again. Right girl? :D 

Lord of the Fries, Sydney CBD

LOTF has made its way to Sydney! I first saw this in Melbourne years ago, so I was really excited to see it again here. The shop is located along George Street opposite Oporto across the road. No seats are provided so you order, pay, wait, collect and exit. You might want to eat by the roadside but I assure you the crowd along George Street doesn't make you wanna stand there long :D

Halal cert is displayed next to the cashier. 

I had a kid's size classic chips with Belgian sauce costing $4.70. 

Will definitely visit this place again for its burgers and hotdogs and maybe chips with Malaysian style sauce (sweet chilli with sour cream, don't know how Msian is this but it sounds yummy!).

Delima, Chinatown, Sydney

Hello readers!

It's the 18th day of fasting month, Ramadhan Kareem! I took a break from cooking in tonight and went out for dinner with my flatmate. Lin suggested a place in the City and we walked far to get there but alas it was closed! Wanting somewhere nearby to feed our hungry tummies, we walked back towards Haymarket and looked around in Dixon Street. There are several halal restaurants in the vicinity but we somehow settled for a fine-dining Indonesian restaurant called Delima. 

The entrance. Walk up the stairs to get to the restaurant.

The interior fits the exclusive theme. Staff is accommodating and efficient. 

Being on a strict student budget, we shared a plate of noodle that costs AUD18.90. On a lighter note, the restaurant serves complimentary snacks and fruits :D Taste of the noodle was rich and flavorful although a little bit too spicy for me. 

L: Mee Kangkung Belacan (stir-fried noodle with water spinach in shrimp paste sauce).
R: Lin helping herself :D

Complimentary prawn crackers and watermelon

Other meals served here are satay, ayam cabe hijau (green chili chicken), black pepper fish, belut cabe kering (deep-fried eel fillet with dry chili paste), and many other authentic Indonesian dishes and desserts.  Despite the price, I must say this is one place worth going to try several if not all the exquisite meals.  

Shalom, Sydney

Hello readers! 

We had a farewell dinner today for one of our fellow friends who is going back to Malaysia for good next week. They kindly obliged to go to a halal restaurant to accommodate me (thank you guys for changing the plan on the last minute ;D). We settled on an Indonesian restaurant named Shalom located at Sussex Street which is about 20-minute walk from Central station. To get there from the train station tunnel (on the CBD's end), walk towards Paddy's market and you can find Sussex from Hay or Thomas Streets. It should be near Chinatown area and the shop will be on your left. We arrived late at 8.30 pm and it was full house. Just our luck though there's one table for 4 vacant at the back. 

Look for this red signage

Halal certification is displayed at their front door

Order and pay at the counter

Tight space but loving the decor and ambiance

All of us had grilled chicken with rice but with different sauces. The menu states the spiciness level of each meal and please DO take them levels seriously. Levels 4 and 5 had my chili-lover friends sweating and burning their senses off haha. I had mine with non-spicy rojak gravy which has a hint of sweetness to it. Served with soft white rice, they were just simply amazing.

Clockwise from top: Level 4 something (I don't remember the name), Level 4 Red Onion Chili Sauce, my Rojak Sauce and Level 5 Fresh Chili Sauce. Each costs AUD10.

Us. Photo credit: Sharmila (not in picture)

Other meals offered here are entrees (fried tofu, spring rolls etc.),  side dish (spinach with chili, fried tempe etc.), soup (oxtail soup, beef ball soup etc.), noodle, satay, and dessert (durian ice, cendol etc.). Other than grilled chicken, you can have your rice served with fried chicken, duck and beef. Teh botol is available here for only AUD1! 

Hope you enjoy my semi-blurry piccas! :D

Swinging Bowl, Adelaide City Centre

Hello readers! 

It's winter break and I'm in Adelaide! Arrived yesterday and will be here for seven days to visit a couple of friends (Ismah and Kay!). I went for a solo city tour earlier today and stopped by this Malaysian restaurant  for lunch. It is easier to locate if you have familiarized yourself with the city grid system. From North Terrace (where it is dotted with places of attraction such as the SA Art Gallery, the state library, etc.), look for Myer shopping center nearby the War Memorial and enter a small lane named Stephen Place. Look out for the restaurant's red signage.  

It was pretty daunting at first looking at the wide variety of dishes but the staff was very helpful to explain how to order and even recommended their top-selling one for me to have. Basically, they charge you depending on how many dishes you take. So all you have to do is choose what type of rice you want (they have white rice, steamed coconut rice and briyani during my visit) and what you want to have it with. 

Swinging Bowl features weekly specials with different specialized dishes from Monday to Friday. Since today is Friday, they have creamy chicken and black pepper lamb included in the menu. Other dishes offered everyday include fried chicken, egg sambal, beef rendang, fish sambal, mixed veges, etc. 

I had white rice with fried chicken and asked for 2 gravies: the butter chicken gravy and the sweet chili chicken gravy. Oh nyums. With student discount, my meal is about AUD5. 

The owner of this restaurant is a Malay Malaysian who also frequents the kitchen. He was wearing a jersey with 'Mangkuk' printed on it as his name. Mangkuk is a Malay translation of Bowl. And if you are a Malaysian, you would know what Swinging Bowl literally means ;) That's pretty cheeky..and creative haha. I learned later from my friend that Malaysian students here call this place just as 'SB'. 

Overall, the food here is fresh, tasty and value for money. Highly recommended!

Opening times: 
Mon-Fri: 11.30am - 7.00pm
Sat: 11.30am - 5.00pm

  

Update Dec 2015: A friend's recent visit to Adelaide confirms that this place has closed permanently.

Bismillah Indian Cuisine, Surry Hills

Hello readers! I'm still in the final exam period and was done with one paper yesterday. Sharmila and I thought we both need to treat ourselves so to Surry Hills we went for lunch! Managed to find this shop after 25 mins of walking through the cold and wet weather. If you are from the Central tunnel, walk towards Surry Hills and keep going straight through Devonshire Street. Turn right at Crown Street and walk all the way down towards Cleveland Street. You will find the restaurant on your right. 

The food is ordered by set but a la carte is also available. We ordered mutton biryani (AUD12)  and an extra dish of chicken tikka masala (AUD8). Sharmila asked for another plate of mutton curry (without the meat) to go with the rice. I find the rice quite dry on its own but with the extra gravy that we have, it was nice and full of flavour (enough and not too overpowering).  

Few customers eat in, while mostly take-out. Only one guy manning the counter since there's not much crowd. Probably because it was a rainy Sunday. A lady came in and had a set of white rice with vege curry priced at AUD7.50 which is quite sensible I guess for a restaurant in this location. 

Overall, I would say that if you really want to eat biryani rice in Sydney, try Lakemba Street. I'm gonna do another post on that soon! Enjoy the pictures!

The restaurant is located at Crown Street

Variety of dishes to choose from (these pictures remind me of Mamak restaurants in Malaysia :D)

 

Our order, Mutton Biryani, Chicken Tikka Masala, and mutton curry gravy

N/B: The cashier did not charge us for the mutton gravy (without meat), so that was nice haha