FOODIES VLOG! - Macquarie Centre

Hey all! So all of us foodies decided to head over to Macquarie Centre one day and do a vlog of all the different choices we had for lunch together! In this vlog you find out what our choices were and our verdict on each dish! All of us bought food from different vendors including Bamboo Garden, Wok Lok, Mad Mex, Ali Baba, Yatai Ozaki and LeWrap! If you're interested to know what we had and our thoughts/opinions on our food check out our vlog below!



Group member contribution for vlog:  Anna Tran -  Filming & uploading vlog (Recording the vlog and embedding it onto blogger - as well as adding description and member contributions)  Jal Marolia - Filming & editing the vlog (Recording the vlog, adding images/screenshots to the vlog, and adding transitions to flow so that it's consistent)  Jenny Li - Production and uploading of vlog (Bringing in ideas for what to do for the vlog and its structure, and uploading the vlog onto youtube - adding descriptions, tags and annotations and ensuring that all criteria is met)  Louise Thung-Winata -  Main vlog editor (Compiling all the videos,  trimming videos and finalising the editing of vlog)  Ronnie Chan - Editing vlog (Finding and inserting background music, and adding voice overs to appropriate parts of the vlog - ensuring that this flows throughout the vlog)  Wei Xin Lee - Editing vlog (Adding appropriate captions, titles/subtitles, end credits and choosing b/g colours to be consistent) 

Kols - Forestville

Kols is a local mediterranean restaurant in Forestville. It is conveniently located at the local shopping strip which has almost everything you need. After going to the gym at the shopping strip, I was feeling hungry as it was just after 12 o'cock, so I decided to go to Kols and eat a snack pack. 

Credit Jal Marolia

Meat: The meat was amazing, I just had beef rather than beef and chicken and suffice to say, so issues apart from it being a tiny bit too dry. 

Cheese: Non-existent, although there was no cheese on the snack pack it was still pretty good.

Sauce: The sauce was great as well, as seen above, no problems there is lots of it and there was no for extra having the holy trinity (chilli, BBQ, and garlic sauce).

Chips: Most of the chips were great, although some at the end were a little soggy, but that tends to happen when you have so much sauce.

Value: For $9 (recently increased from $8) it is very averagely priced. Although the portion size could be larger as I can ear the whole thing with ease, I would to see them increase the size by a little bit. 

The Verdict: Kols provides really good value snack packs and I would recommend for any locals, travelling more than 10 minutes for a snack pack like this would, in my opinion be a waste of time. 

Address: 59 The Centre, Forestville 2087

Facebook Page: Click here to go to their Facebook Page

-Jal Marolia

Blaq Piq - Sydney CBD

Blaq Piq is a hidden Sydney cafe that you generally wouldn't come across unless you actually know about it! It was recommended by a friend when deciding on where to go to catch up, and it did not disappoint! The seating area was rather small but luckily for us it wasn't too busy yet so we didn't need to wait! When I saw the menu there were so many yummy options to choose from I couldn't decide! So my friends and I decided to all get something different each so that we could get a taste of all! My choice was the Potato Hash, which was basically homemade hash with smoked salmon, eggs, spinach and hollandaise sauce - Almost like an eggs benedict but with hash instead of bread. It was super delish however could have been a more filling dish. Luckily my friends and I got some shoestring fries to share between us which was super tasty and addictive!

Credit: Louise Thung-Winata

I also tried some of my friends dishes, the pasta special and the wagyu sausage with eggs. Both their dishes were also super yummy, particularly the wagyu sausage! I'm super keen to come back soon! And perhaps this time I'll try their famous pandan buttermilk pancakes that I was too full for last time. I would definitely recommend it to those looking for a brunch spot in the CBD. I'd probably give it 4.3/5.

Address:11 Alberta St, Sydney NSW 2000
Website: Click here to go to their website

- Louise Thung-Winata

Bao Dao - Chatswood & Eastwood

Bao Dao is a Taiwanese restaurant in Sydney which is allocated in Eastwood and Chatswood. There are almost full of customer every day during the dining hours, and this is also one of the reasons that attracted me.

Having some food in this restaurant is very impressed. The food in this restaurant is not very special but it is the most popular food in Taiwan, cheap and having the strong taste of Taiwan. Moreover, their service is just average. However, they are very effective in surfing food and taking food, therefore, you don't need to wait for a long time especially when you are very hungry or off duty.

In the end, it is an exquisite place for dining after off-duty, if you prefer Taiwanese food.

                  
                                                              Credit: Wei Xin Lee

Address: Shop 8-376 Victoria Avenue, Chatswood 2067

Website: Click here to go to their website

-Wei Xin Lee

KIN by us. - Macquarie Park

Last Tuesday before my ISYS100 tutorial, I had the opportunity to have breakfast with my friend. It ended up being brunch because it was so filling I didn't end up eating lunch. I've already been to KIN numerous times but my friend had never been so I suggested we eat there (only because I got a free ride to uni too).  Kin is a cafe that is a very short walk from Macquarie University - it's under the block of apartments adjacent to Dunmore Lang College. 

I really wanted to eat the "Mega Belly" (the waffle belly 2.0 - a bit of background info, this is the second variation of the original dish that was called waffle belly). The Mega Belly dish (pictured below) includes chilli maple pork belly, potato has waffle, shrooms and onsen egg (an onsen egg is basically an egg that has been slowly cooked in a consistent temperature of 63 degrees where the egg whites are soft and coagulated and the yolk is nice and gooey). I really wanted to eat Mega Belly which I also recommended my friend in eating. He ended up choosing the Mega Belly and told me to not order the same dish so he can "have variety in his photo" for Instagram.

Credit: Jenny Li

Thus, I had to order something else. Since I have been to Kin numerous times previously I had tried nearly everything on the menu except for the Kincheese Burger (pictured below). Even though it seemed too heavy to be eating burger and fries for breakfast, the kincheese burger was basically the only thing I still hadn't tried on the menu. Having burger and fries for breakfast was me literally asking for high cholesterol and a heart attack....but why not? The Kincheese burger consists of a double wagyu patty, kimchi waffles (as the bun), smoked cheese and a side of curly fries. The portion was huge and deliciously yummy. I was literally in a food coma and could not finish the curly fries, and as I said at the beginning, I didn't end up eating lunch because I was so stuffed.

Credit: Jenny Li

Address: 2 Saunders Close Macquarie Park (Corner of Herring Road and Saunders Close)

Website: Click here to go to their website

Well anyway, that's it from me! Hope you enjoyed reading this post :)

-Jenny Li

Chilli Sichuan Food - CBD Sydney

Credit: Ronnie Chan

Red Chilli Sichuan Restaurant is my favourite Chinese Sichuan restaurant in Sydney. I have been there three times with my friends to have super spice and yummy Sichuan food there. I would order fish fillets in hot chilli oil every times as the photos. It is really good and I love the super super and super spicy!!!!

Credit: Ronnie Chan

Except this main meal, there are many other good Sichuan food and I recommend these below:

Credit: Ronnie Chan

It is Kung Pao Chicken, which is a popular Sichuan food too. I tried once only, but it was good as well. However, it cannot replace my NO.1 favorite of fish filets in hot chili oil!

Credit: Ronnie Chan

This meal is really funny, but I forgot the name of it. There were pork and cucumber on the wood shelf. It was really good when I ate them with the special spice sauce. Therefore, I really recommend this Chinese restaurant to all of you.

Address: Level 1/8 Dixon Street Haymarket 2000
Website: Click here to go to their website

- Ronnie Chan

Tay Do - Canley Heights

My mother was lazy too cook the other day so we decided to go on a family dinner. I don't understand my mother sometimes, as if she hasn't had enough Vietnamese food everyday and now we are heading out to eat Vietnamese food. But I can't complain, I do love having Vietnamese food! It's healthy and full of flavour! My family and I went to Tay Do, a Chinese and Vietnamese restaurant. 

Credit: Ryan Truong

For starters, we had abalone. It is was standard and delicious. It was steamed with soy sauce and had ginger and green onion all over it. It is a generic Chinese/Vietnamese dish that I feel like tastes the same everywhere. 

Credit: Ryan Truong

My favourite dish of theirs is the Vietnamese sour soup with fish. The ingredient that brings out the subtle sourness is the tamarind soup base along with tomato and pineapple. Along with all those, there are other vegetables that are in it. I personally like to have enoki mushrooms in mine but they didn't have it this restaurant. I like to pour the soup over my rice and dip the fish in fish sauce. It delicious and healthy dish that I can have everyday. 

Overall, I would recommend this restaurant. The service is friendly and there is an abundance of options to choose from. 

Address: 209 Canley Vale Road Canley Heights NSW 2166
Website: Click here to go to their website

-Anna Tran

Roastville - Marrickville

On a bright, sunny Sunday a few weeks ago, my friend and I went to Marrickville to catch up over food and coffee. We decided to go to Roastville. Roastville is a cafe and coffee roastery in a small factory, where they have a dining area when you walk in and then the coffee roastery area at the back. Furthermore they have a small display area where you are able to buy their range of different coffee roasts as well as coffee products.

I ordered an iced coffee and my friend ordered a flat white. The coffee here is rich in aroma and pretty good overall. The iced coffee I ordered was very nice and overloaded with a lot of vanilla ice cream (could literally also be an affogato, but I'm not complaining as I love ice cream).

Credit: Jenny Li

That day I went with my friend, I ordered the Fried Chicken and Kimchi Waffles with kewpie mayonaise, sriracha sauce and parmesan cheese (Picture above). The dish was topped with rocket which definitely cut down the oiliness from the fried chicken as well as add more flavour to the dish. In my opinion, it tasted alright and the added rocket on top definitely made the dish much tastier. Furthermore, this dish was way too salty because it was overloaded with sriracha sauce as well as with the added parmesan cheese. I also didn't like the kimchi waffles as they didn't taste like waffles (more like an elastic like texture).

Credit: Jenny Li

My friend ordered this vegetable patty topped with kale, pumpkin and a poached egg. I tasted a bit and it tasted alright. So overall, I would recommend this place for it's environment, coffee and some of it's dishes (I've had the Eggs Benedict from here before).

Address: 157 Victoria Road Marrickville NSW 2204
Website: Click here to go to their website

Well anyways, that's it for now from me. Enjoy your day and hope you've enjoyed reading this post

-Jenny Li

Master Bowl Chinese Restaurant - Chatswood

Master Bowl Chinese Restaurant is a very famous Szechuan restaurant in Sydney which are located in Chatswood and Town hall china tow. Although, these two restaurants have the same name, there is a bit difference. The restaurant that we have been there with my friend at last week is located in Chatswood. The restaurant always has a very long queue during the dinning hour. It is not only simply because it's cheap and delicious, but also because it is different with other typical Chinese restaurant. Master Bowl Chinese Restaurant will serve its customers' meal with a large stainless wok. However, there also have some dishes which is served by a plate which is same with other restaurant.

Credit: Wei Xin Lee

My friend and I want to try to order a wok, therefore, we have to select some ingredients out of 40 ingredients showed on the menu and also choose the level of spicy. The menu is very clear, it list out all of the ingredients with it associated price showed beside the ingredient.

Credit: Wei Xin Lee

Even though, we have to wait for a long time before be served, but it is really worsted for it.

Address: 306 Victoria Avenue Chatswood 2067
Website: No official website however click here to go access a third party website about this website

- Wei Xin Lee

Brewtown Newtown - Newtown

Brewtown Newtown is a popular brunch hotspot mainly known for their cronuts. My visit at Brewtown was super delish, satisfying both my sweet and savoury cravings! When I first came by to visit it was quite difficult to spot at it is amongst one of the laneways along King Street. When we entered it wasn’t too busy as we came at around 9 o’clock. Both my friend and I ordered the Eggs benedict salmon roll with hash browns on the side. The hash browns were probably the hit of my visit! I enjoyed that I wasn’t the typical hash brown but that it was actually home-made with strips of potato turned into a ball! The salmon benedict roll was also delish however the bread was quite hard making it not as appetising at it could’ve been. Overall the service and food was great! They even gave complimentary soda water instead of the typical mineral water. 

 Credit: Louise Thung-Winata

For dessert we got two cronuts to see what all the hype was about! We got the glazed and the Nutella. They were surprisingly not too sweet making it super tasty! I would say I do prefer the Nutella one and wouldn’t mind going back for another!

Adress: 6-8 O'Connell St Newtown NSW 2042
Website: Click here to go to their website 

- Louise Thung-Winata

Mövenpick Ice Cream - CBD Sydney

 

Credit: Ronnie Chan

Mövenpick is great ice cream bland that I love it! I had been there twice with my friends and I had wonderful experience there. The ice cream is really nice. There are so many different ice cream choices in the menu. It is a nice place for people chatting with friends and relax. I love the ice cream coffee as well.

Credit: Ronnie Chan

My friends ordered the ice cream as the photo above. It is quite nice looking and really yummy! If you gonna hang out with friends at Town Hall, I recommend you to have a nice ice cream meal at there! You will love it!

Address: 590 George Street Sydney 2000
Website: Click here to go to their website

- Ronnie Chan

Manta - Woolloomooloo

Manta is a restaurant in Woolloomooloo on the wharf. It is has a prime location just on the water with a view of the city, it is really magical. As many restaurants in the area, it is not cheap at $40 for  a main and $20 for starters, it is really on the expensive side, but alas it is nice to go to for a nice restaurant for big occasions. For starters I decided to order arancini balls which were filled with risotto and cheese, they tasted amazing as the crispy outside shell melts in your mouth after you break it. As a main, the beef cheek was ok, apart from looking amazing, it tasted very sour and came slightly burnt, cold and tasted like the drenched a beef cheek in soy sauce and charged $42 for it. I assume they cooked my dish before they cooked the others meals. 

Credit: Jal Marolia

As disappointed as I was with the main course i soldiered on to the desserts, suffice to say it was impressive. All the little desserts that were shared were widely accepted by the four other guests who also enjoyed their mains. If I had to be picky I do think that the mini brownies were dry but this could be overcome by dipping it in chocolate sauce from the lava cake. 

               

Credit: Jal Marolia

Credit: Jal Marolia

Address: Ovolo Woolloomooloo, 6/6 Cowper Wharf Roadway, Sydney NSW 2011
Website: Click here to go to their website


- Jal Marolia

Momiji Japanese Restaurant - Town Hall

Momiji is a very awesome Japanese restaurant located in the basement level of the building beside Town Hall train station. Even though the location is quite inconspicuous, there are a lot of customers who will go to that restaurant and the food will be sold out very fast every day when it is opened.

The opening hours are pretty short but they are open everyday, i.e. as long as they are sold out all of the food. Generally, their food will be sold out about 3p.m.

Credit: Wei Xin Lee

There is not a lot of options on the menu, but most of them are very cheap and delicious, especially, my favourite, beef curry. If you do not have the time to having a proper lunch, it is also a good place to take away your food. The staff are courteous and helpful, you can get your food within a few minute.

                                 

 Credit: Wei Xin Lee

Address: 4/303 Pitt St, Sydney NSW 2000
Website: No official website however click here to go access a third party website about this website

- Wei Xin Lee

Mr. Bao - Sydney CBD

Bao down for Mr. Bao 

The other week, my friend and I went to catch up, and thought why not try Mr.Bao? Mr. Bao is located in York St, Sydney CBD, serving gourmet soft steamed buns filled with goodies like prawn tempura, pork crackling and chicken katsu! It has quite a tight seating area however it’s always good to get take away as Hyde Park isn’t too far away. Baos are quite pricey however they are super delicious and are a great snack! The bao buns are super soft and pillow-like, making it an even more pleasant eating experience! Besides bao they also serve fried chicken wings that are crispy and super scrumptious, my personal favourite! But if you aren't a fan of chicken wings (totally understandable if you're vegetarian or vegan), they also have other options including crispy tofu, soft shell crab and Vietnamese spring rolls, however these are only available on Thurs & Fri (5-9pm) and Sat (11-3pm)! 

Credit: Louise Thung-Winata

During my experience besides the chicken wings I tried the prawn tempura bao and chicken katsu bao! Both were super delish and surprisingly filling! I also tried their lychee, coconut and mint slushie. It was quite refreshing and tasteful however was quite expensive for what was given. Next time I go I am keen to try their dessert, that has a fried bao with vanilla ice-cream in between and custard! Overall I really enjoy that they provide such a variety of meats to cater for different tastes! 

Address: 3/56-58 York St Sydney NSW 2000
Website: Click here to go to their website

- Louise Thung-Winata

i-Creamy Artisan Gelato - Sydney CBD

A few weeks ago, I was in the city to celebrate my friend's birthday as well as have a long overdue catch-up with a group of high school friends. We had thai food for dinner but that's not what I've come here to talk about today. What I wanted to talk about today is what we had dessert after dinner that night. It's basically gelato but this store makes it into the shape of a flower. It literally looks like a blossoming flower!

Credit: Jenny Li

So friends, the place that I am talking about is called "i-Creamy Artisan Gelato". This is a small gelato shop located in the city on George Street (a 1-2 minute walk from Town Hall Station and Event Cinemas). Located in the Skyview Shopping Plaza, there are numerous stores in this plaza and especially filled with food outlets. These include: 85 Degrees Bakery, Sharetea (Tea shop), Pepper Lunch (rice style dishes served on hot plates) and 3 Japanese Cafeteria style stores that service rice, noodles and ramen respectively. Also if you're in need of a haircut, you could also go get a haircut from the hairdressing store in the plaza.

Now to talk about i-Creamy Artisan Gelato, you should go early i.e. not late at night where everyone goes to eat dessert after dinner. The first time I went, we waited around half an hour just to get a single ice cream. The second time I went was around 6pm (dinner time) and there was no one there.

Basically, the store offers numerous gelato flavours that are both Western and Asian inspired. They have such a large variety of flavours that they change all the time. Furthermore, if you want to get a flower shaped gelato, you are only limited to certain flavours that are able to be made into the flower shape. However, you can also have normal scoops of ice cream on a cone or in a cup with all the other flavours.

Credit: Jenny Li

After waiting for a very long time to get my gelato that day I went with my friends, I tried the young coconut flavoured one (white coloured petals in photo below) and the taro flavoured one (purple coloured petals in photo below). The young coconut was so delicious it tasted very light and refreshing and just the right amount of sweetness. The taro flavoured petals were alright in my opinion. As an avid taro fan, I felt that this taro tasted a bit too artificial and I feel like there are other stores that sell better taro flavoured ice confectionary. However overall, the texture of the gelato was very smooth.


I was dying to try their Thai Milk Tea flavoured gelato and I was disappointed that they didn't have that flavour both times I went. I will be continuously going until I get to try that flavour because from what I've heard from my friends, it literally tastes like thai milk tea but ice cream (which I'm dying to try haha).

Address 13/537-551 George Street Sydney 2000
Website: Click here to go their website

Well anyways, that's it for now from me. Enjoy your day and hope you've enjoyed reading this post.

-Jenny Li