Good'day mates!! Last month our family made a trip to Sydney to visit our dearest huang mei mei, the brains of our family, who's studying her masters in pharmacology. It couldn't be timelier, as I was finally done with mata mata filming (of which, have you guys been catching it?) and wanted to take a short vacay preferably somewhere with a nice cool weather. Since mei mei has been there for awhile, she could rekey and intro us some amazing finds! If you are intending to go down south sometime, hope you mates find this handy!
Bourke Street Bakery
633 Bourke Street, Sydney, New South Wales 2010, Australia
Like only the most awesome hole in the wall bakery there is. Situated in Surrey Hills, around the corner of Devonshire Street and Bourke Street, you'll spot a long queue of customers waiting to get their hands on some of the most authentic and homemade tarts. The tart pastries are rustic and unpretentious giving a good base flavour to the unique toppings, such as the ginger creme brulee or the lemon curd and the occasional appearance of strawberry meringue. The tarts here are a must try!! However, if you ain't got such a sweet tooth as I do, I highly recommend the beef pie. This is no ordinary beef pie! It encases huge chunks of tender beef that has been well marinated and stewed to soak in all the juices and flavours.
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| Didn't managed to try this Almond Rhubarb Tart, but it feels like Christmas just looking at it |
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| Happy Diners! Good choice mei! |
The Rocks
Although we didn't visit the Opera House this time round, we took in the sights of the Opera House from a different arena. The Rocks. Nestled at the foot of the Sydney Harbour Bridge, The Rocks is a strategic location for overseeing the landscape of Sydney's city centre and monumental architectures.
With much hype over Sydney's top restaurant, holding the coveted 3 Hats ratings (similar to 3 Michelin) and many other awards, we had to make a trip down to Quay. The food was indeed a gastronomical eye opener with its fine culinary skills. Unfortunately, I didn't get any decent pictures of the food, but there was one very very memorable and unique dish I have to share, that is the acclaimed Snow Egg. We were all marveled at the creativity of the raspberry sorbet snow egg and its intricate execution. As you break into the thinly crisp maltose 'egg-shell', a layer of fluffy egg white fills the centre and encases a 'yolk' made of vanilla custard cream. The layers of flavours left us speechless.
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| Do pop into Baroque cafe just opposite of Quay and try their macaroons, their sea salt caramel are pretty good! |
Blackstar Bakery
| 277 Australia St Newtown NSW 2042, Australia |
Since Mei Mei started living in Sydney, she has been raving about this watermelon cake and pictures of this cake seemed so whimsical, so blackstar bakery was one of our MUST-go-to destinations. Don't expect nice cafe tables and chairs, but rather squishing on small stools and squatting by the pavements having high tea for a change. The garden-esque looking cake and robust fruity flavours, accompanied by cute apple boxes as tables and uncoordinated mini wooden stools made me feel like I jumped right into the world of Alice in Wonderland.
The watermelon cake has a refreshing bite to it. A colourful and floral top filled with generous amounts of fresh strawberries and grapes, followed by a thin layer of cream, cake sponge and some meringue crunch, and a slice of fresh watermelon sandwiched in between more cream. Sounds heavy? But trust me, it's not, it's one of the lightest and most refreshing cakes I've had, doesn't feel heavy or overly creamy at all.
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| Bread and butter pudding paired with homemade vanilla sauce |
Roadtrip
We did a roadtrip to Hunter Valley, which took about 3-odd hours (usually it's about 2hrs) cos we stopped and did some sightseeing. We were advised to take the scenic route and make an exit at The Entrance and the beach nearby. Cos if you are lucky, you could spot some whales along the coast. However we didn't manage to find the coast and had to make our way up to Hunter Valley before sunset. But we did manage to get some photo opp at The Entrance beach which was nice. Who would say no to a beach on a nice weather?
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| Our efforts to wear something with a hint of red/white cos it was National Day! |
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| Road trip snacks |
Four Ate Five
485 Crown St
Surry Hills 2010
What's an Australian vacay without a hearty brunch? Mei Mei brought us to this little unassuming cafe in Surrey Hills (I think the residents here are so lucky to be spoilt for good choices) that has a perpetual queue. The food and ambience is unpretentious giving its patrons a generous and homely vibe. Since mummy hasn't tried pulled pork ever, she decided to go with the pulled pork salad. It has a slight Asian twist to it and the marinated and tender pork left us with a good impression.
Photo credits: Rachel Wee
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