253. Sydney - Fabulous Fudge

(In ascending order) Bailey, Boysenberry and Kahlua

While I was planning for Sydney trip the other day before I embarked on my trip, I pondered what kind of food souvenirs can I get in Sydney. So, I did a search online for souvenirs from Sydney. Most results showed opals, a kind of stone. The most common food souvenirs that people get were nougats and macadamia nuts. But, I didn't want any of these because they were easily available in Singapore.

At the weekend shopping at The Rocks Market, I saw this - Fudge bars made in different flavours. I got 3 for AUD10. Fudge bars....of course they were sweet. In fact, some were excessively sweet. 1 fudge bar could have last a week or more if you nibble a tiny bit at a time. The ones with mint were more refreshing and less sweet due to the mint. Go for liqueur ones if you like liqueur chocolates like me. However, I felt the kahlua didn't taste nice, a tad too sweet. Boysenberry on the other hand, a kind of berry yogurt tasted less sweet.

If you missed the weekend Rocks Market, you could also get the fudge bars at Darling Harbour. The fudge bars outlet is directly opposite to [Cotton On] on level 1. If you are lucky, you will even get the chance to see the live demostration of making of the fudge bars. And pss...I did.

252. Nominated for 'The Best Food Blog' 2009

Dear fellow readers,

I am surprised that my food blog has been nominated for the award - 'The Best Food Blog' 2009. Please give your utmost support for FOODIES QUEEN. All you have to do is to hit on the OMY icon (below or on the right column) to vote for FOODIES QUEEN. Thank you!

251. Sydney - Shanghai Tang

Pork Ribs Noodles @AUD8.80

The pork was served in fried form, like our Japanese Pork Katsu, accompanied by noodles in clear broth. So it wasn't really pork ribs, it appeared more like pork fillet to me. The fried pork was pretty oily and salty. We waited for at least 30 mins for this bowl of noodles to be served, yet the pork was not crispy at all. I supposed the temperature of the oil was not high enough, resulting the pork to be oil laden.

Braised Beef Noodles @AUD9.80

When it was first served, I thought...oh my! AUD9.80 for a handful of noodles and 2 pieces of pathetic braised beef chunks. But hey....I was mistaken. There was actually a generous serving of braised beef, most of which had submerged to the bottom of the bowl. The broth had a strong beef taste which I didn't quite like. The braised beef chunks were good. Very well-flavoured and tender. The noodles was slightly different. It was the kind of egg noodles that Koreans used for their jajang myun (Jajang noodles). The texture was tangy.

We didn't try the other food that was available because our stomachs couldn't hold any more after the noodles. Service was not prompt. We were seated directly opposite to the cashier where about 4 waitresses were at. My friend and I kept looking towards the direction of the kitchen when the pork ribs noodles was still not served after 30 minutes. The waitresses saw our reaction but none took the initiative to ask if we needed any help or helped to check our order until we asked. If you ask if I will patron it again, my answer is most probably a no. If I were to base on the noodles that I have had, the noodles was not palatable enough to make me yearn for it again.

Shanghai Tang
Shop E, Mezzannine Level
653 George Street
Sydney NSW 2000

250. Sydney - Wagamama

My SQ flight back to Singapore got delayed for 3 hours due to some operational reasons. We were given meal vouchers. It wasn't really something to be delighted about. The Sydney airport has nothing much to do or eat. If you have been there, then you will realise why Singapore Changi Airport stands out to be the World Class Airport. In order to fully utilise the meal voucher, I decided to have my meal at Wagamama. Have a proper meal and not merely snacks.

Spicy Beef Noodles @AUD19.80

Thai-style. Clear broth, big chunks of beef, lots of bean sprouts and chopped shallots. It was a big bowl of noodles. The broth was light. The beefs were presented in big chunks which I felt had spoilt the whole dish. Beef was overcooked and thus too hard to chew. It would definitely be better if they were thinly sliced.

Ginger Chicken Udon @AUD19.60

Comments reserved*

Wagamama

Sydney International Airport

249. Sydney - Emperor's Garden Restaurant

Chinatown is located right opposite Paddy's Market. Identified by the Chinese-textiled roof entrance. Emperor's Garden Restaurant is the first Chinese restaurant at the entrance. It doesn't look like it's in Sydney ya?


Egg tarts with crispy crust. They have the non-crispy crust too but I will go for the crispy ones. Asked for 2 times before I got my tarts. I thought the Cantonese makes nice egg tarts but not always so. It was just a pop-sized mediocre tasting egg tart. The custard wasn't sweet enough. Nor was the wow factor there. Crispy crust was a tad dry.

The rice rolls filled with prawns. The rolls was tangy but I felt they were made thicker than what we usually have. I didn't like thick rice rolls because the soy sauce didn't soak well into the rolls and made them taste bland.

Char siew buns, the all-time favourite at dim sum tables. We can find 2 types of char siew buns on the market if you have noticed. I meant the way of the buns were kneaded. What we see in the pic here was like a flower face bun, with holes to see through the innards. The other type being the conservative type, all wrapped up and you see nothing but a red dot to signify its identity. I personally preferred the former. The skin for flower face type was more fluffy but if the bun maker isn't skilled enough, you find yourself having the bun's skin stuck to your teeth. The one I had at Emperor's Garden was pretty good. The skin was fluffy and it didn't stick to my teeth. Char siew filling wasn't too dense or overly sweet.

Siew mai. The texture would have been better if it was made smaller, smoother if some prawn paste was added.

Prawn dumplings (In Cantonese, har gou). Very fulfilling innards. Prawns whole and some pork and celery were added. Prawns were tangy. It tasted better than our mini har gou.

You can see the dim sum wasn't really exquisitely made like we had at Royal China, Wah Lok and etc. The dim sum were maybe placed slightly higher than those Hong Kong Cha Can Ting. Only 2-3 trolleys were on the move. Not many choices of dim sum to choose from. Though food was decent, taste was mediocre, the price was rather steep. Bill worked out to be approximately >AUD30+. It was a treat from a friend so not so exactly clear of the total amount. A few steps away, there is East Ocean restaurant.

Emperor's Garden Restaurant

96-100 Hay St

Haymarket

Sydney NSW 2000