The contents of this blog are matters of opinion formed over one more visits. There has been some artistry applied and metaphors and similes should not necessarily be taken literally.
Shanghai Dumpling Bar is one of many small street-food vendors tucked away in Spice Alley in Chippendale. We visited after Monkey’s Corner so that I could bring some food home for my partner who made the wise decision not to come out.
Green pork and chive boiled dumplings – 6 for $8.80
I ordered only one serving of green pork and chive boiled dumplings (6 for $8.80), although they snuck in an extra one for free. Service was quick, with a sub 5 minute wait for freshly cooked dumplings.
I thought that the filling was very tasty and genuine. I loved that they had the option of boiled or pan-fried dumplings, as most place will only offer the option of steamed or pan-fried. I’ve always felt that boiled dumplings are the most wholesome, and they’re also the kind that I grew up with. While the filling was good I did feel like the green coloured dough was a bit gimmicky, however respect that perhaps that’s what it takes to draw in a largely Caucasian customer base in the Sydney CBD. I also thought that the dough was a bit thick, however the delicious juicy filling made up for it. Of the eight dumplings I had, around half were broken, however despite this their flavour was not watered down too much.
I can recommend the green dumplings at Shanghai Dumpling Bar to a friend or colleague, however cannot speak for the other foods on offer.
Shanghai Dumpling Bar 18-20 Kensington St, Sydney NSW
Intrigued by the promise of aburi scallop and steam sake fish, we drove to and parked in Erskineville to eat at Kuki Tanuki. Unfortunately when we arrived we encountered a menu significantly different to what was posted online on Zomato (no doubt we had seen an old one). This is our story.
Wagyu Beef Bowl ($25) – The wagyu beef bowl was the most expensive dish that we tried. It was a large bowl of rice topped with seared beef and a low temperature egg. I personally found the beef to be very raw, and did not think it was seared enough. Chewing on the raw beef I could really imagine the life that Daisy had led in the fields and under the sun. The beef was so raw that I could still taste some of her emotions. My partner did not find the beef so raw as it was difficult to see in the lighting just how raw it was. I did however really enjoy the egg and how it mixed into the rice. I wonder if these guys could take some inspiration from bowlsoc, and their illustrious leader the Meat Master.
Chicken Yakitori with tare (3 for $9). I really enjoyed the yakitori. My partner often confuses yakitori and yakiniku and doesn’t let me eat it very often. One of the negative aspects of the yakitori and I guess the meal was that all of the dishes were served concurrently. The yakitori therefore had time to rest on the counter while waiting for the cow to be slaughtered and put directly onto the rice. In doing so, the yakitori cooled down and ended up a bit lukewarm by time of eating.
The sashimi nachos ($13) were a lot more deconstructed than I had anticipated. In my short lifetime all nachos I have had have had the tortilla chips mixed into the salsa/dip. In this case we were served discrete tortilla chips and a bowl of sashimi and salsa mix and given no instruction. Using my keen sense of innovatoin and drawing on my past experience I was able to scoop some of the nacho mix onto these chips. They were ok. The chips were crunchy. The filling was fine. I wish they had just come as tacos.
Tasmania Roll ($17). My partner is a big aburi salmon fan, and even though she was outside making an important call and I had to choose all of the dishes by myself I knew that she would like this. The Tasmania roll basically had some aburi salmon on top and avocado and cucumber in the middle. My partner quite liked it but in my humble opinion I did not like that the middle was only green. It was a field of wasted opportunity.
The Soft shell crab mini burgers (2 for $13) were good though a bit oversauced.
The Yuzu sake ($10) was expensive but very good. My partner is a big fan of sour things, and liked it so much that she asked them if she could buy some for home. The answer was no.
Overall we ended up spending $81 for a dinner for two but weren’t able to have the two things I really wanted. This makes me quite sad. We will try and come back if the scallops reappear.
I won’t bore you with all the details of our visit to Fugetsu. Instead, I will provide a few photos as well as a list of similarities and differencesin comparison to Sushi Hotaru.
Similarities
Both reasonably priced sushi trains within the same geographic region
Hand rolls are good and perhaps represent the best value
Touchscreen ordering system which negates the need for unwanted human-on-human contact
For Fugetsu
Against Fugetsu
Free parking in Market City after 6PM until the following morning, permitting other CBD baseda ctivities
More expensive than Hotaru – $3.95 a plate for most things and more for premium plates
A selection of alcohol, including $6 tap beer during happy hour
Aburi nigiri is universally drenched in mayonnaise
Wide range of non-sushi foods
Non-sushi foods experienced including the takoyaki and wagyu skewers were either not good or quite expensive
Open until later than Sushi Hotaru
Quality of sushi in general is probably a little lower than at Hotaru
VERDICT I think that overall if you’re keen for a cheap but good quality sushi train meal in the Sydney CBD, Sushi Hotaru is still hard to walk past. Other factors like free parking after 6PM however are significant, and the difference in quality between the two places is small enough that saving $10 on parking may or may not sway the decision one way or another.
Fugetsu Shop R3, 16 Level 3, Market City, 9-13 Hay St, Haymarket NSW 2000 (02) 9211 6128
I remember it like it were yesterday, however this review has been sitting in my drafts since July 2020. I will first set the scene. I had eaten Korean BBQ with my colleagues from work the night before, and my partner had gotten jealous and demanded that we eat Korean again. We had tried to secure a last minute reservation at a number of Korean restaurants in the city, however due to quite strict COVID-19 regulations the only one we could book was DonDon City.
My partner made the choice adult decision to get a bit tipsy prior to even leaving home, leaving me to be the responsible adult for the night. Above is a photo of banchan as well as the soju ($15) she consumed at the restaurant, atop of her pregame.
Korean fried chicken ($24) was not bad, but not finished. A bit on the tasty side for me, but my partner liked it and subsequently finished it the following day at home.
Seafood pancake ($19) was again, not bad, but not the best I’ve had and nothing to write home about.
Bibimbap ($18) I thought was a bit below average. Visually good but the meat was dry.
I honestly can’t remember how this short beef rib soup ($20) tasted. It was eaten and promptly forgotten.
Overall I think DonDon City was a nonmemorable and middling meal. There was nothing wrong with it in particular, but also nothing very good about it. I remember being full, but not happy. I will do my best to not return (unless I can be promised bossam).
3.5/5
DonDon City 1/636-638 George St, Sydney NSW 2000 (02) 9261 0023
