Take Sushi and Sora Ramen Newtown, Sydney

 

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Bella Brutta, Newtown

Hype, like with anything can be a double edge sword. It could make or break a place. There’s been so much hype around Bella Brutta since it opened in Newtown back in 2018.

I’ve heard nothing but praises from bloggers, food writers and everyone else in the Sydney social media community about their pizzas and other Italian influenced offerings on their menu. This is expected from a brainchild of Luke Powell and Porteño dudes Joseph Valore and Elvis Abrahanowicz. Chocolatesuze and I visited them few months ago and I can confirm, believe the hype! It lived up to my expectations.

The cheese fritti with hot sauce ($4 each) is deep fried golden goats and Parmesan cheese with woodfired green pepper salsa. The crisped cheese balls had an amazing molten soft cheesy centre and the salsa complimented the balls with a kick of smoky and sweet flavours.

I’ve never had seafood pizza as delicious as their clam pizza ($26). The crust is legit with blistered burnt bits and a thin soft base. There was so much umami from the clams and pecorino cheese. The garlic, parsley and chilli brings balance to the dish’s umami. I’m normally a margherita or quattro formaggi kinda guy but this pizza got me craving for more!

They had a dry aged ribeye ($40) on offer that day. The Veal milainase was dry aged for 1 month and panko crumbed. “Tender buttery umami” is what comes to mind with this dish. It also had a lovely smoked beef fat and lemon vinaigrette.

The generous slab of tiramisu ($14) that we had was amazing! It had hazelnuts, beautiful layers of cream, mascarpone, Disaronno amaretto and Amaro Montenegro liqueur.

I cannot wait to visit this place again. There is so much more on the menu that I want to try especially the other pizza offerings.

Bella Brutta

135 King St

Newtown NSW 2042

Tel: 02 9922 5941

Hours

Mon to Fri 5pm-11pm

Saturday 12pm-11pm

Sunday 12pm-11pm

Sydney Cebu Lechon, Enmore

I have fond memories of Cebu in the Philippines. Not only is the region and food great but so is their version of lechon (Philippine suckling pig). What sets Cebu lechon apart from other versions of lechon is that the meat is so damn tasty that you don’t even need any lechon sarsa (sauce). The unique blend of spices and herbs that goes into the stuffing takes the flavours of the meat to another level.

Sydney Cebu Lechon by the Mahusay family has been operating since 1991 as a made to order/catering lechon business in Sydney. In fact, we actually ordered the lechon for our engagement party from them way back and I remember it being the best lechon I’ve had in Sydney. Fast forward to 2016, Will Mahusay took over the family business and has also opened a restaurant in Enmore a few months ago. It’s a small casual restaurant with a minimalist type menu that highlights their main product, Cebu-style lechon.

Their signature Cebu lechon (charcoal roasted pig) is $18 for 200 grams and it comes with atsara (pickled papaya salad) and some vinegar soy blend sauce. The sauce is just there as an option but to be honest, the pork is already incredibly tasty on its own. The meat is tender, smoky, rich in notes of garlic and other spices, full of umami and very aromatic. The tiles of crisped crackling makes amazing shattering sounds with every bite.

Then there’s a dish local to the Cebu region called humba ($23.50). Only the chicken version was available at the time. It’s Cebu-style adobo that‘s heavily influenced by Chinese cuisine. It’s heavier on spices rather than being vinegary compared to other versions of adobo in other parts of the Philippines. The sauce is very close to an aromatic umami rich Chinese masterstock. So you get notes of garlic, star anise and other spices. The braised chicken was so tender that it easily fell of the bones.

There are also weekly rotating desserts available. We had ube cheesecake and frozen brazo de mercedes. The frozen brazo de mercedes was like almost like a meringue and custard flavoured ice cream in texture with a crumble-type base.

Besides the delicious food, the service was also excellent. As there are rotating specials on the menu, I would definitely go back to try them.

Sydney Cebu Lechon

Shop 4/80-80A Enmore Rd, Newtown NSW 2042

Ph: 0481 205 589

Opening hours:

Friday to Sunday 11:45am-3pm, 5:45pm-9pm

Belly Bao, Newtown - Sydney

 It took a while but I finally got to try the awesomeness known as Belly Bao. The bao masters have relocated to their own new spot in Newtown. Another good news is that they are open now from Wednesday to Sunday lunch and dinner.

The new space has a very chill and tropical small bar vibe. Owners Sylvia Tran and Kiren Chua have brought back all the Belly Bao favourites from the gua baos to fried chicken and their renowned baogers. Their original creation of Bao noodles, which are bao dough rolled and hand cut into noodles is a recent addition to the menu.

The slow braised pork belly bao ($7) is an amazing classic. A soft gua bao filled with super tender and tasty pork belly that was braised in masterstock. It also has coriander, crushed peanuts, mustard greens and mayo. The sweet, sour and umami flavours were well balanced.

 Their Belly Bao fried chicken ($16 for half bird) with added salted egg yolk (extra $3) was insanely delicious! The meat was brined for 24 hours. Aside from the amazing flavours from their Asian spice mix, the crispy batter coating had this extra umami and butteriness from the salted egg yolk.

 My favourite item on the menu is the baoger ($13), which is a bao/burger hybrid. It’s not your traditional burg but the Baoger is one of Sydney's best burgers that I’ve had to date. Easily within my top 3 right now. It consists of Angus beef patty, cheese, cos lettuce, onions, pickled radish and BB’s special tangy smoky baoger sauce. Their nicely seasoned smash beef patty has the most perfect meat to fat ratio in my opinion! The lightly toasted steamed soft housemade bao bun was amazing! The sweet and sour flavours from the pickles and onion were just right. Tip: Add extra patty ($3) and bacon ($3) to level up your baoger experience.

You will also find one of the best desserts in Sydney here in the form of their Gaytime bao ($9). It consists of Golden Gaytime ice cream, salted caramel, sliced bananas and shredded coconut in a golden fried bao! Need I say more?

I’ve been back twice already. The quality of food and service were excellent and consistent. I will need to try their bao noodles on my next visit.

Belly Bao
184 King Street
Newtown NSW

Opening hours:
Wed to Fri 11.30am-3pm, 5.30pm-10pm
Sat to Sun 11.30am-10pm