Watch out Parramatta + Knafeh!

Here's to a fruitful exam week and may I pass all of my exams with flying colours. This will be a quick one from me mainly because I have 3 exams this week and so so little time. If someone knows of someone with a time machine then give me a call (please). So after work, I decided that since I'm in Parramatta already, I might as well explore the Parramatta Laneways which I unashamedly have overlooked for the last decade that I have been living in this area. Above is the Chameleon cocktail $12 though a bit small if you ask me.

Guys from Adora Chocolates

Pear cider, I think I'll pass next time around- roughly $8

Arrancini balls my coworker got from Sicilian, free using his Citibank card.

Also, watch this space because Parramatta is about to be revamped. Gelato Messina made a huge splash on the Parramatta food scene and with Papa Rich's doors already open, add that to Circa's (here and here) dominance of the cafe-brunch scene one can only imagine what mayhem will follow with Bourke Street Bakery and Jamie's Italian set to grace Parramatta with their presence. 

Knafeh Bakery

These guys have literally taken over the Sydney instagram domain. Launching at the Smooth Chocolate Festival (which I regret missing just as much as I regret missing the Newtown Festival because of lovely, oh so lovely exams) in what appears and actually is a shipping container, Knafeh Bakery has introduced a new era of night street food. Where can you find them? The answer is it depends, I wish I like every else could provide a more definite answer but you'll find this corrugated tin container in the streets of various suburbs. Again after work, I let myself indulge in a sweet treat because how can you say no to dessert when it is practically at your doorstep- let me rephrase that, when it is but a 10min detour.

Knafeh- a traditional cheese pastry topped with toasted pistachios and a sweet sugar based syrup $8

It was definitely unlike anything I've had before, at first I didn't know what to think of it but then it definitely grew on me. Think a loose Middle Eastern warm cheesecake but that should really be your starting point when it comes to describing this dessert. Unlike the former, knafeh is a lot lighter, or at least this particular recipe is, and so I definitely think that even non-cheesecaker lovers can appreciate this. The syrup is incredibly sweet, a bit of a way of cutting through those spoonfuls of knafeh. It is appropriate but don't get too excited at the thought of sugar syrup. It is just me but did the filling have a sort of stringy-ness to it, kind of reminds of those stringy cheeses that were advertised for kids' lunch boxes but not as extreme. I definitely enjoyed the top layer, it's kind of like breadcrumbs and texture wise it contrasted really well with the soft cheese pastry inside.

I'm looking at the clock now and I'm panicking already. I'll end the post here so I can immerse myself into the world of finance and law textbooks