It Happens To Be A Secret, St Peters

My initial plan was to have coffee at one of my wishlist places but I failed to check their opening hours. Closed on Sundays. Boooo! Nevermind, there are plenty of  other 'cafes' out there in the sea. That's when I stumbled across a quaint little place called "It Happens To Be A Secret"

Love the wall art!

Situated just past the southern most side of Newtown and walking distance from St Peters station lies this cafe. Points have to be given to Bo the owner for coming up with such a name and if that isn't catchy enough, the wall art of the 'shushing girl' would! She's spraypainted on most of the wooden tables. Maybe an idea would be to place this logo on their napkins and takeaway cups. :) I must ask them the next time who she is. :)

 The cafe has a cosy rustic feel about it, with its cast iron furniture and wooden tables. good thing the chairs had cushions, else I would have frozen my butt off!

foreground :Skim flatwhite, background: Latte

 The cafe was quiet empty when we arrived and our coffees came promptly. No complaints here. I think the beans used were from Crave coffee. Compliments to the Barista for a well made cuppa! :)

Eggs benedict ($13.50)

 I wasn't too adventurous this morning so I went for the good ol eggs bennie which usually works as a good benchmark. Everything was good on this plate except for the eggs. Hoping to capture some egg porn and with my mobile phone ready, I sliced it open and was disappointed to see nothing ooze out. Besides the slight dryness, I still enjoyed this dish.

 

Salmon the secret (14.50)

WN went for the 'Salmon the Secret'. Smoked trout served on zucchini-carrot fritters, dill-sour cream, a tiny dollop of french mustard and some spinach. I thought this dish was interesting. Definitely perfect for someone who wants something deep-fried. the Zucchini carrot fritters had a sweet taste to it, almost as if sweet potato was also shredded in as a secret ingredient.

In my books, this cafe is decent enough to warrant a visit. They are also not overly priced as per some other cafes these days. They also have a dinner menu which has an 'asian fusion' twist to it and I will definitely come back to check that out.

Good service, decent food, value for money.


It Must Be A Secret
address : 29 May Street, St Peters
opening hours :
     Mon to Fri :  6:30am - 9:00pm
     Sat - Sun : 9:30am - 9:00pm
location : google map

The Sparrows Mill, CBD

Today was supposed to be legs day at the gym. Emphasis on the word 'supposed'. I was pumped and ready to push out a PB on the squat rack, I had my routine in mind and was in the right headspace. That fantasy went straight out the window when WN asked if I wanted to join her and a few other for dinner at Sparrows Mill. Tough choice ain't it? Sore legs and bum or an evening out eating fried chicken. No prizes for guessing.

Sparrows Mill is one of the newest Korean Fried Chicken restaurant to open up it's doors in the city. With a massive menu in the shop window showing 12 different ways you can have your fried chicken, how could one say no to coming here!
After much debate on what to order and why, we finally settled on 9 dishes and they are as follows.

Nothing to shout about but here's an obligatory photo of the Banchan anyway.

Stir fried glass noodles and veggies $12.80

 Probably the healthiest dish we ordered tonight, the glass noodles had the right amount of flavouring to it. This dish vanished in less than 5 minutes as the portion size could have been shared by 2 small eaters.

 

Prime pork spare ribs with Kimchi casserole ($45)

First up was a massive pot of spare ribs soaking in Kimchi casserole. We immediately turned the fire up and soon it was simmering away happily. Seeing broth looking that good, we couldn't resist ordering a side of noodles to chuck in it. Once cooked, N had the task of slicing up the ribs and serving it to us. The ribs were the lovely kind of fall-off-the-bone similar to that of "bak kut teh"(google it if you don't know what it is. Perfect Malaysian dish for winter!). It was also a good idea ordering this to have in between the onslaught of chicken that was to come. 

Sweet and spicy chicken ($18 half)

First up was this chicken dish that reminded me of the chinese sweet and sour sauce. It would have gone really well with a bowl of rice to balance out the strong flavours however I heard no complaints for our group. In large doses, it was a little over powering but in small doses, it was lip smacking good.

   

chicken with wasabi sauce sprinkled with spring onion(half $18)

Firstly, I think they used the word 'sprinkled' loosely here. It was more like a giant handful of spring onion! Nonetheless, we pushed it aside and dove straight in. Their specially made wasabi sauce is unique in taste and gives the chicken that extra bit of zing.

Soy sauce Gangjung ($17 half)

Based on the little blurb on the menu, these chicken cutlets were coated in a sauce similar to that of a traditional rice cake called Gangjung. The sauce had a hint of sweetness to it which probably came from the honey (sugar?). It wasn't as sticky as the Sweet and Spicy one but it was just as nice. A few rice cakes found its way into our dish and I wasn't sure if that was a mistake or not. Meh, we still ate it anyway. :)

good ol fashion fried chicken ($17 half)

 The plain fried chicken arrived in a lovely shade of golden brown. It wasn't too hot to eat straight away and was cooked to perfection. The bones were easy to pull apart and whilst some of us ate it straight, others took the opportunity to wipe clean the various sauces from the other chicken plates.

Snow cheese chicken ($18 half)

 Now with a name like that, how could you NOT order this dish. It was by far everyone's favourite.
I had a tough time trying to pinpoint the flavours and here were a few thoughtsfrom the group. 

•  It tastes like Parmesan cheese mixed with abit of sugar
•  It's like chicken coated with cheezels
•  I don't know whatever the h*ll it is but I like it!

In the end, we all had our own thoughts on it but I decided that it tasted  like a coating of a particular type of Japanese rice crackers and Super Ring combined. If you don't know what I'm talking about, see below... 

 
Sparrows Mill really knows how to cook fried chicken. It didn't come out soaking in oil, there were no hint of blood or rawness in any of our pieces and it was just a downright pleasure dining here. 

I'm definitely coming back here in the near future but first, I better try and work off what I ate. Tomorrow's gonna be legs day at the gym. Promise!

The Sparrow's Mill
Address : Shop 3, 116-120 Liverpool Street, Sydney
Website : Urbanspoon / Google Map

 

Rustic Pearl, Surry Hills

Nothing is better than finding a parking spot right infront of the designated cafe...well besides the food that we're gonna be having of course!

Situated on busy Crown Street where I could name at least 10 cafes in a 200m radius lies Rustic Pearl. This cafe sets itself apart from the others with a heavily influenced Mediterranian twist to it.  This is evident in the decor, the tiles embedded in the tables, the assortment of Turkish coffee and the variety of Gozlemes on the menu.

Capacity of roughly 15 inside and 8 outside, this cafe certainly packs a punch

We got ourselves an inside table and I straightaway had a "foot in my mouth moment"
Waitress : How's it going?
Me         : Good! It's a gorgeous day and I don't have to be at work!.......oops
Waitress : Well, I do. *chuckle*
Me         : *laughs* Sorry!!! I didn't mean it like that, I hope you're not working tomorrow???
Waitress : Actually I am...
Me         : I think I'll shut up now... 
 WN       : *frowns* Can't take you anywhere!"

Small things like these never fails to leave a huge impression on me

Ok back to the cafe. I like it when cafes make little changes to the way they do things. Something as simple as using a fruit as a bottle stopper and also putting a slice of lemon and a mint leaf into our cups automatically makes them 'different'. Little things like this goes to show that they really do care about what they serve and the impression they give. 

Latte art interpretation : I love football(soccer)?

What do you see in the latteart above?  I don't know if it's because World Cup is on now but I see a guy kicking a football and there's a heart to the right. Rustic Pearl sources their beans from Mecca Expresso so you know it's going to be good. 

Delicious-must-order-beverages

Next up were 2 really good beverages. 
Left : Chocomole Smoothie  Avocado, cocoa, honey, pistachoe, pomegranate
This drink is rich! It's super chocolatey and thick due to the avocado. Even with the honey, it wasn't overpowering in terms of sweetness. This drink goes well with the tartness from the pomegranate.
Right : Turkish apple iced tea w/ lemon, rose, mint & cucumber.
Somewhat similar to the line from Anchorman, it's like a party in your mouth. The tartness of the granny smiths works well with the mint. Throw in the sweet rose for flavouring, the subtle taste of cucumber and a dash of lemon for abit of zing and there you have it! It's like tripping out on tea!

No bigger than my iphone. I wonder what else, one could use this for. ;)

Bosphorous Benedict - grilled lobster meat with poached organic eggs, crushed avocado, hollandaise, chives, coriander, chilli

WN and A ordered the above eggs benedict with lobster but unfortunately, they both agreed that the star of the dish was a little on the bland side. I tried some of it and had to agree. It had no flavour...just the texture of prawns. No complaints on the other elements of this dish though.

Smoked wagyu omelette, buffalo mozzarella, spinach skordalia, bacon dust, tomato relish & toast

I on the other hand, had a smashing dish! The smoked wagyu was wrapped in a moist scramble of eggs which had just the right texture. Combine this with a small piece of sourdough and a dollop of spinach skordalia, every bite was thoroughly enjoyable. The cherry tomatoes were really sweet and I wouldn't have minded another helping of it. Whilst it sounded cool, the bacon dust didn't really have much of a presence in this dish. I literally wiped this plate clean with the last piece of bread and would definitely recommend it to anyone visiting Rustic Pearl. 

Mediterranian sweets with our bill? :)

In my books, Rustic Pearl is another one of Surry Hills must visit cafes. The menu is vast so revisiting this place and trying out new dishes is no problems at all. I initially planned to get the Gozleme but got swayed by the word wagyu. That's ok as it's another reason for me to come back here again another time.

 

Red Cross donor centre, Town Hall

Disclaimer : this blog was 100% written on my iPhone.  Half of it was with just my thumb whilst on the donor chair. No proof reading has been made so it apologize in advanced if there are multiple grammar/spelling mistakes.... 

 It's  always nice when a regular joint remembers you by name, knows what you want to drink and eat without even being told. 

Once a fortnight, I visit the blood centre in townhall to donate plasma. George, the guy who mans the front desk greets me with a big smile and ask how my day was. We exchange stories of recent restaurants we've been to whilst I fill out the 3 page compulsory form. 

As George had to serve other donors, I plonk myself on the sofa. The lobby is spacious with ample seats and refreshments. Today I noticed that they got new tidbits! 

I munch on a few of these as I watch the World Cup highlights on one of their many tv screens. 

Before I even have the chance to finish my biscuits, I hear someone call out my name. I look up and smiled at one of the regular nurses Jenny. 

10 minutes later after the pre-interview, I'm in a nice comfy chair with my legs up. Lynne(the kitchen hand) hands me my usual chocolate milkshake. It always amazes me how she can remember what I want when there are so many other donors. I wish my memory was like hers. 

So the whole process of donating plasma takes roughly 45 minutes. Today I decided to write this blog instead of surfing the net. It's not easy doing this with just 1 hand!!! I'm going to get RSI shortly. Jenny noticed that as the chair was kinda inclined, I was somewhat straining my neck trying to type. That sweet nurse propped a pillow behind my head to ease the ache. What service!

45 minutes pass and I find myself in the kitchen area. Lynne asked if I wanted to have my glass of water and Snack Pack to go. She knows that I always leave immediately to go have dinner with WN. I said no. I think I'll stay for another milkshake. She made me a chocolate caramel one that tasted like Mars bars. Yummy! I think I have a new favourite. 

I sat around for abit chatting with George  and telling him about how tomorrow, I'm going to visit Sparrows Mill for some fried chicken. He said he's gonna visit it some time too. 

My 2 cents about this place? The people at the Townhall blood centre are all genuinely nice people. I feel like I am friends with them now instead of just being another donor. 

Food wise, they also have a few types of toasts and juices to choose from. The bikkies are  packed individually to ensure freshness and Lynne makes a mean milkshake!

So why not make an appointment on 13 95 96 and help save someone's life! 

All of us knows at least 1 person who will need blood at one stage or another. 

 A little prick on the arm is nothing compared to what the person who needs your blood has gone through. 

So to end of a happy note, here's a photo that never fails to make me smile. 

:)

Trio, Bondi

When WN mentioned that one of her friends has now moved to Bondi and wants to catch up, I said "Tell her we'll pick her up! We can now try out Trio!" 
(living in the Inner West with way too many "wishlist" cafes left unvisited, we never really had a good enough reason to venture further out.  So off we went, the three of us to Trio.

If I sat outside, I would have been there all day too... good view of the beach from there.

We're used to waiting for tables now so when the waitresses said that it would be about 30-45 minutes, it didn't faze us. I told WN to take a walk on the beach with her friend as it was such a beautiful day whilst I dutifully waited. This is where I truly appreciate the invention of the Smartphone. First 10 minutes spent on facebook and next 10 on Instagram liking and commenting on awesome food pics.  Not long after, a table was cleared and we found ourselves seated.

I beg to differ :)

Looking around the cafe, I noticed a poster on the wall which made me chuckle to myself. This is one of the problems I personally face on weekends! If you read one of my earlier blogs, you'll know why. :)

Smart marketing strategy

If you can't bring the diners to the products on sale, bring the products on sale to your diners! I thought this was smart.

I really like Shakshouka and it's always my go-to dish on cold winter mornings.  The yarn and the paper tag used to tie it up also helped to give it a very homely look.

Alas, I prefer eating out so no... I didn't buy one. I'd be curious to hear from those who did and how it turned out.

minty water, chocolate milkshake and a skim flatwhite

Trio takes their coffee seriously. I mean besides the menu, they also had a full page printout  of the types of coffee beans that were used, how it was roasted (including number of days), the type of grinder,filter and even soy milk (for the lactose intolerant)! I don't know if it was psychological but it was a really good cuppa coffee! I was tempted to have another but held back because of another catchup later in the day.

Our wait for food took a lot longer than expected but as we were too busy chatting, it didn't bother us at all. The attentive staff especially an American by the name of Sue came to apologize for the inconvenience and said that all our drinks were on the house. SCORE!!!!!

Tagliatelle with king prawns

First up was WN's dish. She went for something savoury. Firstly, those king prawns were huge and made the above photo look more like a kids meal than a main. Packed full of flavour, WN had no complaints at all. I had to taste it for myself and agreed with her. 

Cinnamon & vanilla brioche french toast

The friend decided to go for something sweet and ordered the French toast. Each slice was pretty large and the serving of the raspberry and apple compote was pretty generous too.

Clockwise : Green shakshouka, corn fritter, bircher muesli, french toast, some mango yogurt shot, pancake, turkish bread and hummus.

And finally, my dish which took up 1/3 of the table! The Trio Breakfast Tasting plate.
If you can't decide on what to order due to having way too many choices, then just order this.
I've never had green shakshouka before but I must say that I'm a fan.

Made with 1 poached in a ragout of green tomatoes, green capsicum, spinach and chilli, it was really very well balanced in flavour. So far, this has been the only place I've seen which serves Green shakshouka. (If any you know of where else serves it, do let me know!  ) 
Every other dish of the plate is fairly self-explanatory and I can confidently say that there's not a single serving there that wasn't to my liking. I should have taken the 'after' photo as proof! 

Trio is opened for breakfast lunch and dinner. I was very impressed with the meals we had, even more so after experiencing the thoughtful gestures from the wait staff, and I'm really curious now to see how their dinner menus are like....
Well, there's only one way to find out! :)

Trio, Bondi Beach
opening hours : 7:30-3:30 (Mon-Fri) 8am-4pm (weekends)
address : 56 Campbell Parade, Bondi Beach
website / Map 

Bills, Darlinghurst

With 2 cafes in Sydney and 6 in Japan & London, one would expect the food and service at Bills to be nothing short of spectacular. Sadly it was not so....

usually, long queues = good food...

I began my Queens birthday long weekend with an outing to Bills on Saturday morning. We decided to try out the Darlinghurst cafe since that's where it all began. As I drove by and saw the queue, I was happy. Long queues usually meant good food :) So I quickly dropped the wifey and friend off to get a spot in line whilst I went off hunting for a car spot. Parking is painful in this area with most places being just 1hour free. 



Whilst staring through the window at other patrons eating with my face pressed against the glass (i jest), a delivery guy came by with about 4 boxes meat.  Noticing that it was from Vics Meat, I was excited, knowing that they bought quality stuff. Vics Meat is my go-to place for when barbeques are thrown. Visit it some time! :)

Anyhow, after about 30 minutes, we finally got a table inside.

Chic interior

Upon entering the cafe, we were greeted by a large communal table with artsy magazines, plants and 'fresh fruit' in the centre. The place looked good however the low ceilings only made everyone's chatter seem extra loud. We found ourselves raising our voices more than usual just to have a decent conversation.This is where it all started to go downhill...

After our coffees were ordered, we asked for a bottle of water and 3 glasses. When this was placed on our table, I had something that looked like a 3" long slimy beansprout root stuck to the side of the glass, half of it floating in my water. I'm usually not toooooo fussed about little things but this was quite gross, so I had it replaced. 

When the coffees arrived, I didn't bother taking any photos. No latte art, nice fern leaf , no hearts or cute bears, not even a blob of milk froth or anything that resembled the barristas pride in his work. It looked like he stirred it with a spoon!

Zucchini fritters, deep fried egg, haloumi, parsley salad, tahini yoghurt, pickles ($23.50!)

I planned to order the Zucchini fritters dish all along after recollecting a photo I saw from another blogger on Urbanspoon. I must say, she was a really good photographer.  :)

The 2 slices of  Haloumi had gone cold and rubbery, the deep fried egg was well...deep fried I guess, and rubbery as well. The pickles looked exactly like those that you would see at a Sushi Train outlet and I'm not sure if you can see it but, the parsley leaves I was given were really old and stringy. If you looked up any online dictionary, the word salad means "a dish of raw vegetables" I only had a vegetable (plural!) so how can it be a parsley salad! :P 

If I had to find a positive here, the Zucchini fritter was nice and crunchy. It was flavoured well. Now on to the missus's meal.

Corn fritters, roast tomato, spinach and bacon ($21.50)

What a waste of good meat! There were 2 slices of bacon on plate but they were cooked as 1! The kitchenhand didn't even bother to stretch it out on the grill. Sheer laziness. Then a handful of spinach leaves were placed next to the bacon and this was propped up by the corn fritter. Missus found a few slimy leaves between that pile. 

Once again the positive here would probably be the Corn fritter.

With the number of cafes out there still left unvisited, Bills for now is right at the bottom of my list of places to visit in the near future. The food and drinks were nowhere up to par with the prices charged for it.

If anyone from Bills is reading this, please take the above as constructive feedback. 
It is the collective thoughts of a few people who go out every weekend for brunch.