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.
Emperor’s Garden Cream Puffs. A Chinatown institution. The lines are long and the service is abrupt, but these hot, custard filled little balls are worth it.
Last night during our wait in the queue we were treated to a kid trying to master the kickflip, while his friends rated him on his form. His friend, no matter what, wouldn’t give him a 9/10 – a score reserved for the greats. At one stage he told him “you’re no Tony Hawk,” which is true.
Rose Borek was Rose Boring. We had a selection of pretty samey boreks, including the Spinach and Feta Cheese Borek ($9 – better as a glozeme), Mince Meat Borek ($10 – better as a gozeleme) and the Potato Borek ($9 – better as a pizza). I don’t want you to think that I am a hater of boreks. Indeed, some of my favourite friends are borek. I just didn’t think that these really excited me. I must say however that the creamy cheesy sauce that accompanied each borek was very nice.
The Pogaca (middle- $4) was very similar to a cheese breadtop from breadtop. It was ok in this regard. Similarly the Sweet Borek (left – $5) reminded me of a Chinese sesame paste pastry. I liked it, but not for its borek qualities. The lamb roll (right – $15) I did not enjoy.
Overall I would not recommend coming here. Perhaps if you are a big fan of borek you will not find it as disappointing as I did. The sweet borek is a standout however seems to have some strong Chinese vibes, which is probably why I enjoyed it.
I got this Pork Belly Banh Mi from Pholosphy for $9 whilst I was waiting for my coffee to be made at South Dowling Sandwiches next door. The quality was surprisingly high, good flavours and a good mix of vegetables. No shortcuts were taken, but the price was extremely steep. I’ve never paid $9 for a banh mi before, and I think you can get something similar from most places for a few dollars cheaper.
I’d get it again if I were in a pinch, but not if I were watching my spending.
Food quality 10/10 Food value 3/10 Parking availability 10/10 on weekdays, haven’t tried weekends
Filante is a new pizza restaurant that has opened up in the midst of the COVID-19 respiratory pandemic. After getting ubereats from them a few times, I decided to up the ante (and save myself a bit of money) but visiting them in person.
I visited on a wet August night after work. There were anumber of people in the store doing their socially distanced thing around a large woodfired pizza oven.
Below are the results.
I liked the Burina ($22), a cheesy, meaty kind of pizza.
I got the patate e salsiccia ($19) specifically for my girlfriend, who loves potato but ate very little of this. This made me very disappointed.
I enjoyed the Romana ($20) pizza, which I felt had a little bit of everything, including weird things like egg.
I could have lived without the aranciniwith porcini mushroom and truffle ($6), however that is true in most cases. I normally only enjoy mini arancini as I feel they have a more superior exterior to interior ratio.
Despite the brief review, I enjoyed Filante. It’s some of my favourite pizza that I can get delivered to my home, and I plan to continue eating their pizza for as long as I can.
I’ve wanted to eat at Flour Drum for some time, but had avoided it in view of the terrifying parking situation in Newtown. I was finally able to bundle up the spoons to brave the King St parking situation this weekend, only to find that parking isn’t so bad on a Sunday morning. We had a dish from their regular menu, and a dish from their Spring inspired menu. Allow me to discuss.
The handmade pappardelle with 8-hours slow braised South Australian Lamb Shank Ragu shallot and chili infused olive oil and Cyprian volcanic black sea salt ($26.50) is a very long name, but one which adequately describes the components of this dish. This was a safe choice, and a very delicious one. The pasta was cooked softer than al dentre, which was good for me, because I’m basic. I really enjoyed the flavours, and the fresh chopped chilli gave the ragu the perfect amount of spice. I couldn’t identify the volcanic black sea salt, but have no doubt it was present. I don’t know what this really added to the dish over and beyond what normal salt would have added.
I’m going to be honest, I was highly skeptical of the Handmade Pork and Prawns Dumplings with Egg Noodles in a Chicken Broth, Chinese Bok Choy, Japanese Roasted Seaweed and Parsley. I am often wary of Asian food in a predominantly Caucasian restaurant, as more often than not it is more expensive, and less good. Flour drum’s pork and prawn dumplings were the exception to the rule. The dumplings were bursting with umami flavour, and could compete with any other dumpling and wonton in wide circulation. They were really the star of the show, with the fresh bok choy a close second. I thought that the noodles and soup were a bit too plain and mild-flavoured, an opinion my partner originally held but subsequently changed her mind on. I would recommend this dish for the taste of dumplings alone, however the price ($22-25 from memory) is far too much, and a dish of similar quality and construction would not surpass $12 at your local Chinese restaurant (I’m aware one of the co-owners of Flour Drum (Victor Li) is of Asian descent)
This giant M&M cookie was like $7. It was fine. Its structural rigidity was poor but I don’t know how they could have done better with such a large surface area.
Overall I think Flour Drum is just fine. The food is good, and I’m impressed by how they are able to create both Eastern and Western dishes quite competently. My big criticism has to be the price however, especially for strictly Chinese dishes that have an obvious and equally high quality counterpart in your local Chinese restaurant for half the price.
