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 

Malacca Straits, Broadway, Sydney

My friend and I went to this restaurant nearby our uni to unwind after finishing couple of assignments and mid-term papers. Food was great, we were both happy with our choices. It's also value for money, considering the price was standard throughout Sydney city. Service was good with friendly and attentive staff. Waiting time was acceptable taking into account the place was half full when we arrive. 

If you come from UTS tower on your right hand side in Broadway, walk straight ahead and look out for their sign also on your right. You have to walk inside the main entrance to finally see this joint. It is before Broadway Shopping Centre in Bay Street.

The menu consists of both Malaysian and Thai food. The friendly owner's wife mentioned that they have Thai chef to prepare Thai dishes. She is Indonesian while the husband is..Malaysian of course!

The halal logo :)

Patrons keep coming in while we we there. It was on a Tuesday night!

My friend had Laksa with Chicken (top) and I had Nasi Lemak with Beef Rendang (bottom), both cost AUD10 each. 

Updated: On my second visit (15/5/2013) I had this appetizer for AUD6. They were fish cakes, curry puff and spring roll. Nyums!

N/B: The restaurant charges AUD0.50 for a container and plastic bag if you decide to take away your unfinished meal.

Pondok Selera, Food Court, Sydney

Pondok Selera is a small halal stall in an area called Food Court at Dixon Street. It is right where Chinatown lane is in Haymarket, Sydney. If you enter Dixon Street from where Paddy's Market is, find an entrance on your right hand side with a sign that says Food Court. A staircase going down will lead you to an area with vast numbers of small stalls. Pondok Selera is located towards the end of this area. Do not be confused with another Food Court at the end of the road though (because that's what happened to my friend when he says he has arrived but we didn't see any sight of him!). 

Service wise, nothing much can be said as it's pretty much self-service. We ordered our food and paid beforehand at the counter, waited at our table that we finally secure after standing beside an uncle until he finishes his meal, and collected the food at the stall after checking twice whether it was ready. Staff were fast and warm. 

I chose Special Fried Rice and it was a bit of a bummer as it wasn't that great although a tad more expensive compared to other choices in their menu. The fried rice was nice but the chicken was a bit dry and salad was not interesting. Meanwhile, satay was okay but spoiled by the strange taste from the peanut sauce. I wish I ordered something else as I still have a good feeling about this stall. It's one of the busiest stalls too from observation. 

One of the most visited stalls in Food Court

Tables are fully taken during peak hours

Special Fried Rice wasn't so special after all. It costs AUD13.80 and comes with fried chicken, satay with peanut sauce, crackers, salad, and fried egg. 

N/B: The stall charges AUD0.20 for a container and plastic bag if you decide to take away your unfinished meal.

Enfes Kebab, Darling Harbour, Sydney

Enfes Kebab is located inside Harbourside Shopping Centre in Darling Harbour. They offer pizzas with varied toppings, pide, kebab, gozleme, salad etc. I ordered pizza (can't remember which topping) and it was quite thick and dry. I should try something else next time..their kebab looked good. The staff didn't really understand when I asked about the pizza (or perhaps its the other way round). I just hope that the lady could be a little more polite when she serves me. 

Harbourside Shopping Centre on the background (where Hard Rock Cafe sign is)

Enfes Kebab booth at the food court of Harbourside Shopping Centre. Halal logo can be seen on their wall. 

My AUD5 pizza (I asked for ketchup on the side) 

Poppy's Café & Bistro, Balmain, Sydney

Papa's friend was generous enough to drive me and my parents to Balmain while they were in Sydney to enjoy the spectacular view there. We searched for a place to have our breakfast and stumbled upon this café. Once we entered Poppy's, we get this warm and rustic feeling the place exudes. Although famous for its coffee (as I later found out), I ordered hot chocolate to go with my toasts and they were all...divine..

Price were all reasonable. Regular coffee was AUD3.50 while Iced Chocolate/coffee was AUD6. 

Poppy's is mainly patronized by the regulars/locals 

The shop opens as early as 6 am

Hot chocolate comes with marshmallows on the side, toasts ordered were Banana and Pear, and Raspberry. Délicieux!

N/B: This place does not necessarily have any halal logo nor certs, but our order was non-meat and non-alcoholic. 

Cafe Joy, Haymarket, Sydney

My parents and I found this restaurant while we were searching for another halal restaurant nearby and decided to give it a try. It was near closing time so you can imagine what the service was like. I had Nasi Goreng to take-away and there was nothing to shout about the taste either. 

Still patronized up to their closing at 9pm. Halal logo is displayed on the glass door. 

The counter where you order and pay

The menu..my Nasi Goreng was AUD9

Update Aug 2013: This joint is now closed and is replaced with a Japanese restaurant. 

Café Kasturi, George Street, Sydney

Dear readers, 

It's the second last day of my parents trip here in Sydney to send me off to uni. We had lunch at Kasturi, a very strategically located Malaysian-Thai restaurant along George Street. From Railway Square where you can see Adina hotel is across the street, head left into George Street. The restaurant will be on your left-hand side about 300m ahead. 

Whenever I passed by this shop, I could not help but to ask if it is really open? Yes, the exterior seems pretty gloomy and empty. But be surprised when you step inside, it is a pretty fancy 'city' restaurant. Price is a little bit high but still in the affordable range. 

The three of us had Hainanese Chicken Rice, Bihun Goreng (fried vermicelli) and Char Kuey Teow (fried flat rice noodle) (AUD14.80 each). Taste was good although I wish they could be more rich in flavours. I tried my Dad's fav, steaming hot Teh Tarik and it's so nice and creamy it reminds me of home :)

 

Other mains served here included noodles (laksa kari, pad thai etc.) and rice/roti canai with poultry/meat/seafood/vegetable dishes. They also have in their menu: soup (soto ayam, tom yum goong etc.), entrée (satay, curry puff, chicken wings etc.), and desserts (banana fritters, sago, bubur kacang etc.). 

Update (July 2013): A group of friends went there for dinner and ordered set meal of rice, main dishes and vegetables. They reckon that their dinner there tops other Malaysian food they have tried in Sydney :)