Joseph's Bakery Review

When you think of bakeries perhaps what comes to mind are those artisan ones that bake fresh baguettes, pastries, or your good old meat pie. Now consider Asian (and by Asian I mean Chinese) bakeries, you will probably think of the franchise Breadtop, and other bakeries that produce similar breads. If you frequent Strathfield, Eastwood and now Lidcombe, you'd now be more familiar with Korean bakeries, which for the record, are completely different. If want the 101 on Korean bakeries then watch this Eat Your Kimchi video, you guys may or may not fall in love in love with them. If you cannot be bothered to watch the video then basically Korean bakeries do odd flavour combinations and their breads are usually sweet. The Korean bakeries in Australia are no exception including this one.

How cute is this

So I found out that this bakery in particular had ridiculously cute bread and that sums up why I went. 

CAKE!!!!

Can't wait to celebrate cake with cake

Korean cakes look amazing and yes they taste amazing as well. I'm a regular at Pishon in Eastwood (:

3 selfies with my fellow bread man, you guys can stop complaining about not seeing my face and start complaining about seeing my face too much. On a side note, how awesome is that plaid background in the first picture, it is actually a coat that I recently bought and I cannot wait to show it to you guys.

$1.70

So this one was red bean flavoured, if you live off Asian bread like me then this one won't surprise you. I do find that in general Korean breads then to be a lot smaller than their Chinese counterparts. The layer of red bean was also quite small so I was a little annoyed at because $1.70 is quite dear but then again Korean bakeries also charge more.

Sorry man

$1.70

I wish that there would be signage to let you know what ingredients were in each bun because when I initially bit into this I thought it was plain- I'm good with that- but after a few bites I realised that there was filling, odd filling. I have no idea what it is exactly, but it kinda tastes like a sour cream, it's sour at first but it leaves a sweet aftertaste. I wasn't quite fond of it, I hope that the description I just gave, gives you some understanding because it was just plain weird (in a bad way).  This can also be said about the next one, one should always remember that looks can be deceiving guys.

I was most excited about this one below because I've seen turtle/melon breads so many times on the net but I've never seen one in person, so I knew that I just had to buy this. 

$2.70

So I was being a kid (so unlike what I usually am like) and decide to play Super Turtle by pretending that this turtle could fly~

(Don't judge)

So this is another sweet bread, there are actually sugar crystals on top of the pineapple bun like top with green custard inside. For one, I think that at first the green colour isn't disturbing but after a while I grew to dislike it particularly because I wasn't fond of the custard either, so I decided to eat the bread only and in doing so I made a bit of a mess so you can imagine how gross the green made it look. I'm not sure if I was conning myself but the custard kinda seemed melon flavoured. I felt that the first few bites were not bad but after all what you were eating was mostly custard with the bread part thinning out. 

Verdict: I enjoyed the first one the most, I guess it was the most typical, the flavour combinations of the other two didn't fare well with me. I also think that price wise, it was quite dear for what you got so I don't think I will be back.

Bourke St Bakery Review

It's confession time:

So Surry Hills has well and thoroughly cemented themselves as cafe central of Sydney and one of the most famous spots is Bourke Street Bakery which has expanded well beyond the confines of the quaint, tranquil Bourke Street. Despite going to Surry Hills quite often and being familiar with the oh so many hills in the area I actually have never bought anything from Bourke Street Bakery, that is until now. What makes this story even sadder is the fact that I have accompanied friends to this place so they could buy stuff- but isn't it amazing that I was able to stop myself when all the food was right in front of me.

Pork and fennel sausage roll $4

As my first trip as a customer to Bourke Street I couldn't overlook their signature sausage roll, especially since it was lunch time.

Beware there is minimal outdoor dining so be prepared for takeaway, and there's a small park opposite which makes for the perfect spot to have an impromptu picnic.  

I'm not one to take photos of food once I've started eating but this one I couldn't help, overlook it if you must. 

So if you've read Bitter's take on healthy eating then you can safely assume that my mother and conversely myself are quite the health freaks; we never buy frozen sausage rolls and meat pies so when we do it is the equivalent to catching a unicorn. That said, I do enjoy a good sausage roll provided that it's not filled with (sorry for being brutally honest) crap. I found the meat to be very lean so big thumbs up for that because I didn't have to second guess my decision in buying this. I'm not quite sure that it's as great as they say maybe because I'm particularly biased and reckon that the ones my mum and I whip up to be quite outstanding minus our pastry. The pastry here wasn't so much like the buttery flakey goodness of Black Star Pastry (no one has yet to match this place), but it was commendable. Not entirely sure what the other ingredients were-definitely some carrot, perhaps celery and these seeds (?)- but really who pays attentions to this unless you have allergy that of course most definitely matters. All in all, I may have gone in with too high expectations, I thinks it's a great sausage roll, one that is worthy to be bought- this is a big deal since I never buy sausage rolls- and at $4 it won't hurt your wallet either.

Rhubarb tart $5

Ginger creme brûlée $5

LOVE IT LOVE IT

As a kid we are often told what food we should like and what foods we shouldn't. Take for example the infamous brussel sprouts, till this day I have never tried brussel sprouts and for the record I wasn't one of those kids that ran away at the thought of brussel sprouts. But for me one of the foods that I used to detest as a kid was ginger, now that I'm a lot older (and hopefully wiser), I have come to appreciate ginger, it is still not something that I could eat all day but it is certainly not the food that I would carefully search my food for so that I could take it out. Some of my favourite ginger food/beverages are ginger tea, ginger ice-cream and who can forget gingerbread- the authentic kind; made with a huge punch of ginger. Now this list will include ginger creme brûlée, recently I've had quite a few creme brûlées, this is the 4th one of the year so far including the one I had yesterday in writing this. I feel that I have exhausted all of my creme brûlée options for the year, I need to eat other desserts.

 Usually I can never finish a whole creme brûlée because the custard is so sweet and dense, the solution is one share with someone or two add something so that one can actually finish it. This is where the appreciation of ginger comes into play, it really cuts through the heaviness of the custard and it tastes amazing with blowtorched sugar. To top it all off there is some pistachios on top but really that is only there to make it all look even better, the highlight was really cutting through and having a ginger syrup oozing out. This one definitely lived up to my already high expectations, I just wished I could have tried their chocolate tart as but sadly that one was already sold out.

For a rhubarb tart I was hoping that there would be more rhubarb incorporated rather than just two cuts placed on top. My mum being one to experiment with cooking all sorts of foods has cooked rhubarb on a few occasions, rhubarb in its untouched form is ridiculously sour- one measly bite and any further bites just makes you a masochist unless you love incredibly sour foods. I find this tart to be enjoyable but it lacked the wow impression that I got from the ginger creme brûlée tart. The short crust pastry was buttery, crumbly but with a tart being like that all the way throughout, it was a bit too much for me- I can't handle all that butter.

Free Food: Original Meatball Company

Marrickville pork roll- Dubbed the best in Sydney

Marrickville has been hailed as being home to the best pork roll in Sydney, so I went all the way out to Marrickville just to find out for myself.

Okay, so the above isn't necessarily true, I was actually there because I wanted to see the Round She Goes Market for myself but sadly I'm tiny so I rarely find stuff that fits me without being altered in some way. Since, I was already in Marrickville it goes without saying that I should also enjoy their food scene and strong Vietnamese presence. I had to decide between going to Cornersmith which recently won an award for being one of the best new cafes and the humble pork roll. As you can see the humble pork roll won that battle, one because I had to rush back home to work on an assignment, two it was cheaper and three there was a waiting list at Cornersmith.

 For the first time in my life I lined up for a pork roll. I remember seeing this happen elsewhere at Hurstville as well but other than that lines aren't common unless its peak lunch time. If you're hoping to skip the queue and think that you should just come back later, don't bother, I thought that too but I was mistaken. Attention People: this line never gets any shorter so just line up!

So many ingredients, you know a pork roll joint is amazing just by their ingredients and the sheer quantity they have outside because the busy places always have everything fresh since they go through it all quickly.

Standard pork roll $4.50

So I went for the standard pork roll, can't wait to go back to be more adventurous because they have so many combinations that I want to try for myself. So the above photo is the only one you're going to get, if you read what I wrote above then you would know that I was in a hurry so it wouldn't have been practical to take it out of its bag for you to see.

Sorry but Convenience + Stomach needs > Camera

This is one of the few times that my camera is second priority.

Quick Snapshot:

So what makes this pork roll different from every other joint out there, not to mention the other stores in the same suburb let alone street? Well first of all, pork roll by default have the same ingredients otherwise they wouldn't be called a pork roll so one of the best ways a pork roll can be distinguished is based on their sauce and pork pâté. For me, I absolutely loved their pâté, it would if you may, be their fingerprint- something unique only to this store. On the flip this particular store uses pickled radish in their pork roll, I actually like pickled food especially radish in kimbap but I didn't feel like it matched the flavours of a pork roll. My tip, ditch the radish, they are pretty generous with their vegetable servings so you won't have reason to complain.

Since I'm currently having some difficulty describing this one I'm going to cut it a bit short, flavour wise I found the sauce a bit too overpowering maybe this is just a personal thing because I'm not really a salt person but I shall emphasise their pâté once more because that is the biggest reason why I'm going to come back. I'm not usually a vegetarian friendly person though I do go vegetarian quite often, at least not on my blog, but there is a vegetarian option for those interested.

Overall, I would hesitate to say that this is the best pork roll that I've ever tasted but it certainly lived up to its reputation of being a memorable pork roll, one that beckons you to come back for more. Perhaps, after a few more trips and tastings at other places, I might commit myself to the best pork roll in Sydney title.

Grill'd Slider Review

L to R:  Chicken with Asian Slaw and Roasted Peanuts, Beef with Pomegranate and Mild Wasabi Slaw, Beef with Cheese, Mustard and Pickle $10

Because I believe that good things come in trios rather than three's a crowd, you'll have to bear with me. So a while back now, I found out that Grill'd were introducing sliders to their menu and had a promotional offer where you could get 3 for $10. A few months later (yes this post is horridly late, don't mention it), you should now be accustomed to its RRP: 3 for $15 or 2 for $12. 

I think it's a great idea especially for those of us that just want a bite at Grill'd without forcing ourselves to down a whole burger. After having the 3 sliders, I was quite full though that said if you're looking for a feed for 1, I'd say stick to their normal menu. If, however you're out with friends then a slider may be a potential option because you can buy 3 and share them. 

Some quick thoughts:

Beef burger > Chicken burger

I have yet to be disproven but I am still a voucher of beef over chicken burgers. Like the typical Grill'd experience prepare to make a mess. If you have had the pleasure of going out to eat burgers with me then I am actually a really clean burger eater. My tip, if you are going to get a normal Grill'd burger ask them to cut it in half for you or now that they have knives on the table, cut it in half yourself though it is better if the staff do it for you. Ditch the full hands on experience of eating a burger if you don't want to make a mess otherwise, no shame, eat a burger the way it was intended.

Stix Desserts Review

Now this is a sight!

Mr Black presents The GrindHouse

So yesterday was my birthday but celebrations are not in order because I am knee deep in trouble- I keep on yapping about my exams and I still will (sorry guys) because I am so unprepared. Taking a break from it all, I did however allow myself to visit the popup bar called The Grindhouse which features Mr Black Spirits. Big shout out to The Sound Campaign team for the invite and if you love your coffee and your booze then be sure to visit Nixon Project, Surry Hills this weekend.

Details:
When: 12-14 June, 6pm- late
Where: 35 Foster St, Surry Hills

Hard Iced Cofee- Mr Black, Milk, Appletom Rum

I have to say it was the serve in a 'pretentious Mason jar' option that instantly drew me to this drink. Some of you may be sick of Mason jars, no doubt I am slightly as well but I do think that this trend will continue to stay for some time as it continues to dominate the instagram sphere. I feel that alcohol preferences really differ from person to person so keep this in perspective, what I like may be totally different from your drinking preferences. So I love ice-coffee but to me it seemed like the Mr Black coffee liqueur was drowned by the dash of rum. And now I'm thinking of those horrible memories last year when I decided to buy a tub of Sara Lee rum and raisin ice-cream (worst decision ever). My tip, ditch the rum and enjoy Mr Black Spirits in its entirety by preparing this drink in its most basic form.

Recipe: Mr Black's Hard Iced Coffe

60ml Mr Black

120ml Fresh skim dairy milk

Measure all ingredients into a cocktail shaker full of quality, fresh ice. Shake lightly and strain into ice filled glass or pretentious Mason jar. Make this bad body navy strength with a 10ml dash of your favourite dark rum.

Pretentious Mason Jars for the Surry Hills elitists!

Made to order

Espresso Martini- Mr Black, Aylesbury Duck Vodka, Espresso, Maple Syrup

I am so glad that I finished the night off with this because this was heavenly. I would gladly sip this all night long like I don't have a care in the world but sadly reality kicks in and we realise the existence of horrid things like exams. I'm usually not a vodka person, but I do accept that it is widely enjoyed by my peers, but that said, perhaps I may be converting if I continue to get drinks as good as this. For the coffee aficionados out there, this has you written all over it, combining the perfect kick of coffee with the elegance of a martini and the pleasure of vodka. 

Recipe: Espresso Martini

The Vodka Red Bull for people who don't drink Red Bull

45ml Mr Black

30ml Vodka (or gin, rum or tequila,. This beg tastes top shelf with many spirits from the back bar)

Measure all ingredients into a cocktail shaker full of fresh ice. Shake vigoriously until think foam develops. Strain into chilled glass. Drink often (ABSOLUTELY).

Final words...

If you're busy this Sunday, don't fret because Mr Black Spirits is widely available in liqueur stores like Dan Murphy's. For those of you looking to taste, and learn, a good starting point is Dan Murphy's  Double Bay store- it was recently renovated and the end result is amazing.