Bitter's Strathfield best eats

You guys probably know that I will take any opportunity that I can get to eat. I recently had a lovely conversation with an elderly couple who travelled from Hornsby to Enmore to try the Cow and the Moon gelato and we agreed that life would be lacking when you do not eat well. Perhaps this may be contrary to my food crawl trip I embarked on with a few dear high school friends of mine but a food crawl can be approached in various ways- you can binge eat and marathon food from one stand to the next or you can approach it like a degustation and savour the food before making your way to your next destination. I feel as though Strathfield, as a food destination, doesn't get enough attention when all you can do there is eat, eat and EAT. So continue reading as I share some the places that I frequent when I'm in Strathfield.

1st stop: Red Pepper

For a restaurant, this place is fairly obscure, tucked away in the local sports clubs lies the best Korean Fried Chicken joint in Strathfield. That said, there are certain issues attached to the place that I won't shy away from. As someone who eats out a lot, and someone who especially loves Korean, I am used to expecting a lot of side dishes or banchan, even when I am buying takeaway. Unfortunately (I don't want to stereotype but) Koreans can tend to be fairly racist in that they definitely prefer their own, I don't have anything against that but at Red Pepper that meant unequal treatment with the Korean diners being blessed with plentiful servings of side dishes. I, on the other hand, only got what I ordered and when I asked I was only given a small serving of pickled radish which I would have gotten without any fuss at other Korean Fried Chicken restaurants. Perhaps this may come as being ridiculous to some of you but when the status quo of being served side dishes is so established, it is really disappointing to see polar service when it boils down to race. 

Onto what I ordered...  

Spring Onion Fried Chicken- Half Chicken $17

This would have to be by far, their signature chicken. I always say this but fast food chain, KFC's Colonel Sanders has got nothing on Korean Fried Chicken or what I affectionately call KFC (you get the difference... right?) Rather than just getting the original fried chicken which is also cheaper, I highly suggest the same option but with spring onion on top, for one it looks better but superficial reasons aside, it also tastes better. One of the reasons why I prefer this KFC over the fast food counterpart is because of the batter used here which trumps the 7 secret spices that Colonel boasts. It super light, non-greasy and doesn't leave you feeling stuffed to the brim with oil. Though, if you do feel like that, chances are you've finished half a chicken solo and that is where the spring onion and radish comes in to clean your mouth. What I enjoyed about Red Pepper's version, is their wasabi mayonnaise; it had a slight kick to it, not to overpowering and overall very enjoyable. If you're new to KFC, you'll love the crunch that you get, it is just one of the most satisfying sounds. 

Fried Chicken with Sweet and Spicy Sauce- Half Chicken $18 (as pictured) Whole: $32

Despite being generously lathered in their sweet and spicy sauce (YUM), the chicken still retained a wonderful crunch. How I don't know, perhaps it is the magic of KFC but whatever it is, I will happily eat more. Initially the chicken is sweet but it leaves a spicy aftertaste, I would rate the spiciness as a mild and if you belong to those that can't take chilli, unfortunately you guys are missing out.

2nd Stop: The Mandoo

The next stop was a dumpling house that opened last year 

Prawn Dumpling $12

Pork bun dumpling $10

I have to admit, upon seeing their adorable dumpling face mascot/logo, I was sold (yeah it's pretty pathetic I know).  You may find it weird going to a place and only ordering one to two dishes but if you can put that aside, you will have a great time eating lots of foods. Being Chinese, I can say that there are slight differences in Korean dumplings like the pastry and definitely the filling. It pretty hard to put it into words, despite all the dumplings I have happily chowed down but I think you guys will just have to try it for yourself. Overall, I really liked their dumplings, perhaps the pork bun ones were a bit odd for me because they were really big for a dumpling. If you want to try different things I suggest only ordering the prawn dumpling because the two share similar stuffings so maybe go for the kimchi or fried ones instead. If you're not a dumpling person, first why are you in a restaurant that translates to dumpling, but that aside, they do have noodles (cold and hot).

 3rd stop: Waffle Bant

Tucked in the centre of Strathfield Square is Waffle Bant, which may or may not be my favourite place to get waffles. Even with a waffle maker at home, it sadly will never taste the same as this place. They offer heaps of combinations but if you ask me I pretty boring and just prefer the original waffle $3.50, for one it tastes amazing on its own and two I'm cheap and I really don't see the point in paying a huge mark up for fruit, and whipped cream on waffles.

Original waffle $3.50

It's a bit of a wait because they make it fresh on the spot when you order but it so delicious. Buttery goodness right here. Make sure you eat it quick pronto because waffles taste so much better when they're still warm.

 4th stop: Noggi

I remember the good old days of 2012 when I first discovered Yoghurberry, that was before frozen yoghurt exploded in Sydney. I do feel as though the craze has died down, but when I am in Strathfield I simply cannot go past Noggi. Sure Noggi is a franchise but if you ask me, I think Noggi Strathfield has the best frozen yoghurt, apart from YoghurtWorld in Westfield Sydney- it's their texture, and flavour. So I opted for the max size or whatever size allows you to have 2 flavours and is just under $10 (sorry I failed to follow up on the price). Because I really wanted a coffee kick that day, I decided to get biscotti but out of the remaining flavours, I only like green tea so I asked them to  put it in different cups. Mochi toppings for the green tea and oreos and coffee shot for biscotti. It tastes as good as I remember but by now, I was really full so we took our time to eat this. I have to say that nowadays I don't really like frozen yoghurt or it's not that I don't like it but I do feel like it is very overpriced so this will be a rare photo (cherish it guys).

Beauty and the Beast:

Note: not part of the food crawl, I had this on a different day but since this is a Strathfield post, it had to go here

PATBINGSOO $15

After a disappointing trip to Kanzi Fashion Cafe, I returned back to Beauty and the Beast for their Patbingsoo. I don't understand the low rating on Urbanspoon, I've been in the past for their lunch menu and I loved it, it was so filling and very affordable. We're talking lunch specials for $10 and they come with lots and lots of sides (ahem cue in my disappointment again with Red Pepper). You should definitely share this one, it's huge, filled to the brim with shaved ice, seasonal fruits- we had kiwi, rockmelon, banana- red bean (the pat in patbingsoo), condensed milk and ice-cream. It's the perfect dessert for summer or winter... I had in the dead of winter at night and I was shivering throughout (I was outside as well) but I still loved it. Also how cute are their spoons, spend a solid few minutes just snapping photos of them.