Sydney Cherry Blossom Festival 2018, Auburn

To anyone in Sydney who misses Japan or would like to get a sneak peak of what Japan springtime is like, you’re in luck! Experience the beauty of Hanami out in Sydney’s Western suburbs. The Auburn Botanic Gardens hosts a yearly Sydney Cherry Blossom Festival event at its Japanese Gardens area. The event runs for 2 weeks and it has already started last Friday, 17th of August 2018. 

Expect Japanese themed gardens with ponds, tori gates and most importantly beautiful blooming sakura (cherry blossoms). There are events throughout the day like Cosplay Catwalk, a Hello Kitty makeover bar and Sumo wrestling matches. There is a lot of oishii food also available on the weekend sessions!! You’ll find stalls that sell traditional Japanese dishes like takoyaki, okonomiyaki and taiyaki at the Food Village area. Then there is also fusion cuisine stalls and trucks like Japanese inspired gelato desserts from Gelato Messina, Japanese themed baos from Tsuru, Sakura themed burger from Mate Burger truck and more. Speaking about Mate Burger truck, our collaboration burger, the MR Ramen Burger is back this Saturday, 25 August 2018.

Here are some photos from the event:

O-NO-GIRI gelato (Green tea & pistachio mousse dipped in rice bubbles and chocolate)

Aunty Tomsu's cheesecake gelato

Sakura burger by Mate Burger 

MR Ramen Burger

Taiyaki filled with vanilla custard

This weekend Saturday 25th to Sunday 26th of August will be your last chance to take part in the festivities. You can pre-purchase your tickets via the Cumberland Council website. Click here.

Address:

Auburn Botanic Gardens

Chisholm Rd and Chiswick Rd

Auburn NSW 2144

Cherry Blossom Festival hours:

9am to 5pm

Holy Heffa, Edensor Park

The Sydney burger scene just keeps on expanding and I'm not complaining! Same goes for the food truck game. I just love the fact that we have such a great range of food trucks scattered throughout Sydney. Burger food trucks is the deal right now and most likely for a long time. One that's been getting a lot of love is one of my personal favourites, Holy Heffa!

Ferrero Rocher milkshake ($6)

Crowds have been flocking to their truck since they started parking at Fred's in Edensor Park over a year ago. Their Homewrecka and Heffa Homewrecka's Son burgers are amongst the favourite along with their truffle fries. Since then, they have released creations that received nothing but praises from their followers.

Heffed-up sidewinders

 One of the best loaded chips I've had is their Heffed-up Sidewinders ($8). This monster has beer battered sidewinder chips loaded with maple, aioli and house seasoning. Oh boy, the wedges were crisped on the outside and fluffy inside. The sweet notes, garlic and smoky flavours work well. The bacon was so crispy!.

Truffle fries

The truffle fries have won my heart from the get go! Shoestring fries, parmesan and truffle flavour are the best of friends!

Breaking bacon burger

Double breaking bacon burger

The double breaking bacon burger ($16) are one of the best monster cheeseburgers around. The flavoursome and juicy double angus beef patty together with the sweet & smoky bacon jam, sexy melted American cheese, fried onion rings and the tangy creamy bloody mary sauce in a soft light brioche is just brilliant! It was massive but it handled well.

Crisp cow cracker burger

The crisp cow cracker burger (Single $12, Double $16) is another winner at Holy Heffa. A massive burg with grass-fed angus patty, crushed pork rinds, salami crisps, American cheddar, garlic mushrooms, honey bbq and white bbq sauces in a soft light brioche. The honey bbq and white bbq sauces compliment the garlic mushrooms. The light brioche is perfect for this kind of burger as it doesn't go soggy with all the juices and sauces present. The bits of crackling were also a delight.

Every burger I've had from this truck has been consistently amazing. Follow them on Facebook and Instagram for updates on their weekly menu.

Holy Heffa

Fred's Fruit Market - One Stop Shopping

661-671 Smithfield Road,

Edensor Park NSW 2176

Hours:

Thursday to Sunday

6pm to  10pm

Mate Burger Truck, Western Sydney

Someone once said that: "one of the most beautiful qualities of true friendship is to understand and to be understood". Burger truck Mate Burger understands what burger lovers really need: next level delicious burgers that are not over the top.

Henry Paraan is the genius mind behind Mate Burger. A burger truck that features both Filipino and American influenced burgers. Expect legit burgers and fries that draws inspirations from Filipino favourites like lechon, sisig, tocino and even Adobo! Then you have classic American diner-style burgers and cheeseburgers with a twist.

Adobo burger

The adobo burger ($12) is pork belly braised in adobo sauce with cucumber, coriander, sriracha mayo, aioili and pickled Spanish onions in a soft milk bun. The soy, garlic and vinegary flavour components came through well. The cucumber, coriander and pickled onion help cut through the richness of the pork.

Longanisa burger

The pork based patty of the longanisa burger ($12) is inspired by the popular Filipino sausage of the same name. It was peppery, sweet and garlicky. Legit longanisa flavours! It worked well with atchara (pickled papaya), tomato, cucumber, corriander and egg (can't have longanisa for breakfast without egg!).

Lechon burger

The lechon burger ($12) is spit-roasted pork belly burger that also includes onion rings, green apple and green mango mint salad, black truffle mayo and special Mate burger sauce. It may sound hectic but the flavours are well balanced. The crackling was just divine along with the generous amount of tender flavoursome lechon meat.

Double It Burger

Then there's the "double-it" burger ($15) which is a double everything cheeseburger! It is one of the best double cheeseburgers I've had in Sydney: double beef smash patty, double sexy melted cheese, double glazed bacon, pickled onions, caramelised onions, pickles, jalapeños, and mate sauce in a lightly toasted soft milk bun. Juicy flavoursome meat with caramelised crusts. The meat is coarsely minced, which leads to creating pockets of juice within the patty. The sweet and sour flavours of the condiments cuts through the richness of the burger. The jalapeños and mate sauce seals the deal with some heat and extra umami. In spite of being a big, it actually handles well. This is my kind of burger!

Jack Burger

The latest addition to the mate menu is their Jack burger ($12): beef patty cooked in duck fat, caramelised lychees, smoky crisped bacon, melted jack cheese and black truffle mayo in a soft milk bun. The highlight here is how the buttery jack cheese compliments the patty. Then there's the added effect of the tartness of the lychees and smoky salty bacon that works well with the rest of the burg. 

Then there's Mate's lechon fries which is probably one of the best loaded fries I've had in Sydney. Big chunks of lechon with them glorious crackling and truffle aioli!! So damn good!

Ice candy

You can also get Filipino style ice pop called ice candy by Ice Kendy Australia. Flavours available: lychepine (lychee and pineapple), calamango (calamansi and mango), tarojack (ube and jackfruit), avoconut (avocado and coconut), manfrad (mango fruit salad), melonrock (rockmelon cream).

Henry's truck is another burger force to be reckoned with. I'm looking forward to try more of his burgers soon!

Mate Burger

Check their social media accounts for the latest location updates

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mateburger/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/themateburger/