Iron Chef, Cabramatta

One of my favourite phrases  is from rapper Jermaine Dupri, which goes -"If you wanna dance, Imma make you dance". That's just what suckling pig and dumplings do to me. They make my heart want to dance from excitement. I normally get my dumpling and suckling pig fix from Chinatown, Haymarket.  As much as I love getting my dimsum and suckling pig from Haymarket, there are times when I just don't want to do the travel to the CBD.

Then, I heard of Iron Chef in Cabramatta from two of my favourite blogs - Noodlies and Chocolatesuze. I've always wanted to try this place since it's not too far for me travel to. Especially due to the good reviews that I've heard and read.  Recently, I received an invite from Wasamedia to join other fellow food bloggers for yum cha lunch at Iron Chef.

It is a Cantonese restaurant similar to the likes of East Ocean and Marigold at Haymarket that serves Yum Cha for brunch and lunch. This establishment boasts of contemporary Cantonese themed decor. When several food bloggers are gathered in one place, a delicious massive feast comes pouring down.

Siu mai

The siu mai is one of my all-time favourite dumpling to have at yum cha. Their version of this classic silky pork in wheat flour wrapper dumpling was nicely done.

Chicken feet

Har gow

I also liked their har gow which is prawns wrapped in an almost see through thin rice flour sheet. The wrapper has a perfect slightly gelatinous & chewy yet firm texture. The prawn filling was quite flavoursome.

Haam sui gok

The Haam sui gok also known as a fried pork dumpling tickled my fancy too. The rice flour surrounding the pork filling is sticky and slightly sweet with crispy outer layer.

Deep fried prawn dumplings

Crispy fried prawns

The crispy fried prawns are battered prawn that is deep fried.  The batter has a crispy and slightly chewy texture. The whole dish is nicely seasoned with salt and pepper.

Suckling pig

Suckling pig pancake

The suckling pig pancakes were my absolute favourite. My mouth was partying to the tiles of perfectly crispy crackling and suckling pork meat. To top all of that, it was wrapped in a slightly sweet thin doughy pancake wrapper with hoisin sauce and cucumber. This truly deserves the title of awesome!

Egg tarts

The egg tarts have this fluffy and flaky pastry that I love so much. It is filled with egg custard filling. The filling is creamy and not too rich with the right amount of sweetness and brûlée like flavour.

Mango pancakes

Another favourite yum cha item of mine is the mango pancakes. Iron Chef's version was one of the best I've had! The wrap is like a smooth doughy pancake. The combination of mango pieces and sweet cream was absolute bliss.

Iron Chef

To all my Western Sydney readers, we don't have to travel too far just to have amazing dimsum. Iron Chef will not just satisfy your yum cha cravings, it will also take you on a dumpling journey that you wouldn't want to end.

Ramen Raff was invited by Wasamedia to dine at Iron Chef.

Iron Chef Chinese Seafood Restaurant
84 Broomfield Street
Cabramatta NSW 2166
tel:0297236228
ironchef.com.au

American Food Trip 2011 - Part 1

There is more to American food than just hamburgers and hotdogs. America is rich in culinary culture. Take San Francisco (SF) for instance, where part one of our American food journey took place. SF has a very diverse and amazing food scene worth exploring. It reminds me of Sydney as it also has diverse cultural and linguistic communities. Amongst the various ethnic communities are Chinese, Japanese, Italian and Filipino. The diversity is very evident in the food that SF has to offer.

I did my SF food research prior to leaving Sydney and what I found looked very promising. We arrived on my birthday and it was the best and most awesome birthday ever! There was no better way to celebrate than indulging myself with good food and be surrounded with loved ones in a great city such as SF. 

Foyer at Hotel Tomo

We first checked in at our super cool Japanese anime/pop themed hotel called Hotel Tomo in Japantown, SF. Japanese animation was shown at the foyer in three different LCD screens! 

Good Luck Dim sums and Susie's Cakes

Our cousins and aunt arrived at our hotel to welcome us. They surprised us with so much food! With boxes of dumplings and red velvet cupcakes. The best cousins and auntie ever!

Boxes of dumplings and red velvet cupcakes

With so much delight and excitement, we dove into the boxes of siumai, prawn gow gee, vegetable dumplings, charsiu bao, and baked pork buns from a place called Good Luck Dim Sum. Look them up in Yelp and you'll find good reviews for both their food quality and price. They certainly tasted good, but it was the prawn gow gees that stood out for me.

Red velvet cupcake from Susie's Cakes

After that, it was time for the red velvet cupcakes from Susie's Cakes. It was just the way I like it, generously topped with yummy cream cheese icing. You could really taste the cream cheese in the icing and the cupcake was perfectly moist.

Clam Chowders at the Fisherman's Wharf and The Pub at Ghirardelli Square

Clam chowder in sourdough bread

A trip to SF is not complete without trying the popular clam chowder. The most common clam chowder at the Wharf is the New England version. This version is milk or cream based. We went to Chowders to have a taste of this comforting dish. Perfect for a cold weather, we slowly worked our way tearing the sourdough bread from the top and dipped into the clam chowder. The chowder had a fresh clam taste. It was thick and creamy with very light acidity. 

After an hour, we went to The Pub at Ghirardelli Square which is located at the other end of Fisherman’s Wharf. The lighting was dim and the décor was what one would expect from a pub. This was where we got to try some of America’s best. 

Evil Bob's jambalaya

Evil Bob’s jambalaya – blackened shrimp, andouille sausage & chicken jambalaya was very rustic with flavours that punch through your taste buds. It made me feel like I was in New Orleans.

St. Louis style ribs

The St. Louis style ribs was my absolute favourite! It was chunky, juicy, tender. The barbeque sauce it was smothered in was thick, tangy, slightly sweet and smokey. It was brine and smoked for six hours. It was awesomely beautiful . 

Beef short ribs

The beef short ribs was very rich in flavour, very tender and was served with candied yams and mac & cheese. Both the St. Louis style ribs and beef short ribs were pretty rich and juicy. 

Truffle mac and cheese

We also ordered truffle mac and cheese. It had three cheeses with truffle oil, bacon & green onions. Wow, it was a whole new mac & cheese experience. Once you’ve tried this, you would never want mac & cheese any other way again. 

Buffalo wings

The buffalo wings was served with blue cheese crumbles and buffalo wing sauce. It was a delight that went so well with the cold weather.  

Espresso burger with fries

The espresso burger won best burger of 2010 in SF. It had espresso and brown sugar dry rub on the patty with blue cheese, bacon strips, onion rings and a touch of garlic mayo on a sourdough bun. 

The birthday boy (very happy!)

If you ever plan to visit the U.S., a stop at San Francisco should be considered. I highly suggest checking out Good Luck Dim sum, Chowders and The Pub at Ghirardelli Square. The Pub is a must (It was my favourite food place out of the whole trip). Part one of our food journey was very yummy for my tummy! Part two of my American food adventure to follow soon!

Good Luck Dim Sum

736 Clement St

San Francisco, California 94118, United States

(415) 386-3388

Open daily 7am-7pm

Susie’s Cakes

2109 Chestnut Street

San Francisco, CA 94123-2708, United States

(415) 474-2253

Open daily 10am-7:00pm

Chowders

39 Pier # 121

San Francisco, CA 94133-1036, United States

(415) 391-4737

The Pub at Ghirardelli Square - Recommended

851 Beach Street

San Francisco, CA 94109, United States

(415) 351-0500

Open Weekdays 11:30am-1:30am; Weekends 9:30am-1:30am

www.thepubsf.com

East Ocean and Passionflower for Sunday Brunch

East Ocean

A trip to East Ocean for Yum Cha was long overdue. My wife and I decided to hit this joint for a Sunday brunch.

Roast suckling pig

The roast suckling pig, is one of my weaknesses in life. It was delicate and lethal with suckling taste. In my opinion, nothing beats the texture and crunchiness of a suckling pig crackling.

Pork ribs with black bean sauce

The pork ribs with black bean sauce here is one of the best that I’ve had. The taste of black bean was present but subtle. It was succulent and full porky goodness.

Pork dumplings with crab roe (Siumai)

Pork dumplings with crab roe (siumai) is a classic must have in any Yum Cha. I could devour these dumplings all day long.

Stir fried sticky rice wirh dried sausage

The Stir fried sticky rice with dried sausage was very filling. One serving was enough for me.

Rice paper wrapped prawns with sesame

A new addition to our choice of Yum Cha items is the rice paper wrapped prawns with sesame. Compared to other rice paper wrapped prawns that I’ve tasted in the past, East Ocean’s version has more filling and flavour. This will be a permanent to our list of “must be ordered yum cha items”.

Mango and cream pancake rolls

Mango and cream pancake rolls was the last item. The combination of mango and cream had a very refreshing and tropical taste. The cream complimented the mango well. Whilst the pancake that it was rolled in had a delicate soft texture.

Passionflower

Just before ending our Sunday in town, we decided to go to Passionflower near Town Hall station on George street. No matter what time of the year, it is never too warm or cold for an ice cream.

Black sesame ice cream

My wife ordered the black sesame ice cream in a waffle basket. It wasn’t just a pretty looking ice cream. It also tasted pretty damn good. Infusing black sesame into ice cream is genius.

Thai tea ice cream

I went with their thai tea flavoured ice cream. This will definitely be one of my new favourite ice cream flavours, which I will frequently order. It tasted exactly like my favourite Iced Thai Tea drink.

I’m looking forward to my next visit to East Ocean and Passionflower to have their food that is yummy for my tummy.

East Ocean Restaurant
Level 1
421-429 Sussex Street, Haymarket NSW 2000
(02) 9212 419a8
Open Weekdays 10am-2am
Weekends 9am-2am



Passionflower Pavilion
Shop G01, Ground Level
Pavilion Plaza
580 George Street
Sydney, NSW 2000
Phone number: (02) 9267 0075
Sunday to Thursday: 10am - midnight
Friday & Saturday: 10am - 1am
Public Holidays: 10am - midnight