Eats: Wang Wang Shanghai Silver Star, Kingsford

Wang Wang is nested at the heart of Kingsford on Anzac Parade. It seems that this restaurant have been there for a few years but I have only started dining regularly last year. The patrons of the restaurant have been growing and the restaurant might have to start a waiting list soon.

For drinks, if you think that Chinese restaurants usually serve tea for the table, they are not the typical Chinese restaurant. They only serve tap water. Other drinks can be purchased though.

As the name suggest, Wang Wang serves Shanghai food and their specialties are dumplings. Whenever I visit, there will surely be a dumpling dish on the table.

Pan Fried Buns Filled with Pork (6 pcs) - $ 6.00

This is my all time favourite. I usually alternate this with Xiao Long Bao (no picture) which is also 6 pcs at $ 6.00.

A peek inside the bun

The bun was soft on top and crunchy at the bottom where they fried it. The thickness of the bun was just right making it even tastier. The most important part of the bun was the 'soup' in the bun. I usually take a bite of the bun, pour the soup, drink it while it is hot and enjoy the rest of it after. The soup itself was sweet and it came from the pork when they steam it. The pork was soft and juicy. Ginger and vinegar will be served upon request. 

Prawn & Pork Mini Wonton (15 pcs) - $ 6.50

Nothing can go wrong when you can have 15 pieces of wonton at $ 6.50. We ordered this dish again after a friend requested for this when we where there one time. The amount of meat in the wonton was decent, not too much not too little. The wonton wrappers had a strong egg taste. This dish itself brings back memory to the wonton noodle in Malaysia. The soup which came with the wonton was good as well. We left the restaurant with a dry bowl on the table. 

Fish Cutlet in Szechuan Chilli Sauce (comes with a bowl of rice)- $12.50

We usually will order fish fillet instead of cutlet. However, this time we decided to try something new. It was not a very clever decision. It took 35 minutes for the dish to came out and when we tasted it, it was very salty that we need to eat the fish with rice to neutralise the saltiness. I am not sure if Shanghainese food are meant to be salty but this was way too salty for us. The Szechuan chilli effect came after a few seconds putting the fish into the mouth. It was salty at first and slowly my mouth became numb.

Cafe summary:

• Drinks - N/A
• Serving time -15 to 20 minutes (except for the fish)
• Food - 4/5
• Food serving - Might need to share when order mains.
• Atmosphere - 3/ 5
• Service - 3.5/ 5
• Cleanliness - 3/5 

Tips: 

• It can be difficult to get parking on Anzac Parade. 2P or more free parking are available at the back streets.
• The cups and spoons in the restaurant are plastic and the chopsticks are the take away wooden chopsticks which are not recyclable. If you care for the environment bring your own.

Location:

476, Anzac Parade,
Kingsford 2032

Eats: Cafe Morso, Pyrmont

Cafe Morso is located in the middle of Jones Bay Wharf. The first time I was there I thought that I was at the wrong place as the wharf itself looks quiet and it doesn't look like there any restaurant there. Obviously I was wrong. The once upon a time port have now turned into a commercial area like most of the other ports in Sydney. Jones Bay Wharf itself is home to 2 well known eateries, Flying Fish (at the end of the wharf) and Cafe Morso.

Outside of Cafe Morso

Knowing that Cafe Morso can be busy at times, I made a reservation prior. Upon arrival, we (my partner in crime (PIC) and I) were given a choice to sit outdoor or indoor. Given that Sydney decided to be in winter mode in autumn, we chose the latter. On a nice summer day, we will definitely be sitting outside.

Drinks first, as always.

Despite the cold weather, we both ordered milkshakes. The names of the milkshakes made it easier for us to make our decision. It was something that I don't usually see in the drinks menu.

Salted Caramel Macadamia (foreground) and Mars Bar (background) - $ 6.00 each

I chose the salted caramel macadamia. Who knows salted caramel macadamia can be made into drink as well. I usually see them in the form of macaroons. The drink was just nice for me. It was not too sweet and it comes with actual macadamias as seen in above photo. Even the drink itself had crushed macadamias in it. I was drinking and chewing at the same time. 

The Mars Bars chosen by PIC was great too. Again it was not too sweet. Not sure if they have used the actual Mars Bar to make the drink but it came as a surprised to me that the amount of chocolate and milk was just right. It was not too milky which could end up covering the taste of chocolate.

I have been there a few times (not blogged) and I usually order the usual food. This time around I thought I should order something different just to see if I can find a new favourite dish. 

Orange pancakes, passionfruit curd and mascarpone - $ 15

I did not plan to order pancakes until I saw it being served to the table next too us. It looks interesting with the passionfruit curd being served in the jar. It came with 3 pieces of pancakes which had the taste of orange. The pancakes were thick and between dry to moist. Half way through, I was already very full. I find it too thick for my liking and somehow, it was getting drier as I eat them. I think it would help to have some syrups or cream to go with it.

Braised pork cheek with house chill jam, fried egg spinach and shallots - $16

PIC chose the braised pork cheek was part of the special of the day. The pork was beautifully done, soft and easy to pull apart. The chilli jam was a bit too sweet and it reminds us of Asian cooking a little somehow. The egg was still a bit runny when served and sourdough was good too.

Soft braised pork cheek

Cafe summary:

• Drinks - 4/5
• Serving time -20 to 30 minutes
• Food - 4/5
• Food serving - just nice for 1
• Atmosphere - 4/ 5
• Service - 4/ 5
• Cleanliness - 4/5

Tips: 

• Make reservations. Reservations can be made on their website or call.
• Ample of 2P street parking available at $ 3.00 per hour. I haven't had trouble getting a spot so far.

Location:

Lower deck (west side),
Jones Bay Wharf,
26-32 Pirrama Road
Pyrmont

Website:
http://www.cafemorso.com.au/

Travels: Maroubra Beach - Sunrise

The Sydney eastern suburbs are well known for their beaches, one of them is Maroubra Beach which is the preferred beach among the locals for surfing. Apart from surfing, it is also a good spot for watching sunrise.

These are a few of the photos I took which is part of my photography practice.

Photo 1

Photo 2

Photo 3

Photo 4

Photo 5

Photo 6

Photo 7

Photo 8

Photo 9

Photo 10

Tips:

(For watching sunrise anywhere)

• Check the weather and sunrise time the day before
• Be at the location at least 30 mins before first light.
• Try to put the camera away when watching sunrise. Just watch the whole process of the sun rising. The feeling is just mesmerising. 

Eats: The Bean, Rozelle

The Bean is located on the busy street of Darling Street. The cafe was busy when we arrived but our arrival was quickly noted by one of the staff members and we got a table immediately.

Inside the cafe

First thing first, drinks.

I had a chai latte while my 2 partners in crime (PIC) had mocha and soy mocha respectively. 

Chai latte (foreground), mocha (background) and soy mocha (not in photo) -  $ 3.70 each

The chai was too sweet for my liking but the taste was great with the right blend of chai and milk. Both my PIC enjoyed their mocha. The coffee was strong but you can still taste the chocolate when you drink it. It was too good that they regretted not ordering a large size mocha which is an additional of  $ 0.50.

Next comes the food.

 

Zucchini & Haloumi Fritters - sour cream, lemon, cured tomato, baby basil, red shizo - $ 16.80

The zucchini & haloumi fritters was a special dish in my opinion. The dish looked small but it was actually quite filling and I could taste a bit of the spiciness when eating it and when you mix the spiciness with the lemon gel and sour cream, it blends well with the spiciness, soothing my taste bud. 

Bombay eggs - $ 14.80

PIC #1 ordered this. The egg was moist and the flavouring was good. I could taste and see a mixture of other ingredients in the egg such as diced tomatoes, onions and capsicum maybe. However, the side of the sourdough was a bit too hard for my liking. I might get the wrong part of the sourdough though. PIC #1 and #2 said the middle of the sourdough was soft and they both liked it.

Huevos Rancheros - house made beans, chorizo, fetta, chilli, egg, tortilla and avocado - $ 16.80

PIC #2 ordered this. I am not a big fan of  beans but this dish is just amazing. The combination of different ingredients used in this dish made the dish burst with great flavours. Egg yolks which were not seen in picture above was runny and oozy. There was also cheese in the middle of the tortilla.

Overall, the food was great and the atmosphere was great as well. 

Atmosphere at The Bean

Some olden day radios above a shelf full of books which you can read while you enjoy the coffee there

A wall full of old posters

Specials of the day menu on the board

Dessert of the day menu on the board

Cafe summary:

• Drinks - 4/5
• Serving time - 15 to 20 minutes
• Food - 4/5
• Food serving - just nice for 1
• Atmosphere - 4.5/ 5
• Service - 4.5/ 5

Tips: 

• Order large coffee if you are a coffee lover
• 4P street parking was available but slightly limited. Be prepared to pay $3.50 per hour for the first 2 hours and $ 1.80 per hour for the subsequent 2 hours for parking.

Location:

612, Darling Street,

Rozelle.

Website:

thebean.com.au
NB: At time of writing, menu in website slightly differs from the actual menu, specials menu on the board as well.