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. All meals are independently paid for - the author has no conflicts of interest to disclose.
I was really excited to get Oppa Pocha for work lunch. Their menu lokoed quite good, and it is rare to find Korean restaurants that deliver in our area.
I had the Hot Stone Wagyu M9 Bibimbap ($16.90, pictured). I was quite excited to try it as visually it looked quite good, with such a wide complement of toppings and soup. Unfortunately I found the beef to be a bit chewy and a bit overcooked – perhaps unavoidable in the setting of delivery. I was not very impressed, and neither was my colleague at his Hot Stone Kimchi Pork Bibimbap ($15.90). To be very fair, neither of our dishes were actually served in hot stone.
While I wouldn’t get delivery from Oppa Pocha again I would consider trying to eat in. I think their food has potential which sadly doesn’t translate well to UberEats. 2.5/5.
Cats are my favourite animal. Even though we have two small cats at home, we often find ourselves in wonder of cats on the internet, on the streets, and now at Pokemeow Cat Cafe.
One of the great joys of Pokemeow Cat Cafe is being able to sit outside and peer into their cat playground. Their clowder of cats, consisting of two Maine coons, a sphinx, a ragdoll, a munchkin and a very beautiful but average domestic shorthair, are an absolute delight to watch. Being able to watch them play and interact during our meal really elevated the experience. There’s also the opportunity to pay $10 for a 30 minute play session inside the playground (book beforehand online), but we chose not to as we felt it would be a bit weird to have all the diners look at us as we did so.
The overall vibe of the place is very pet friendly as well, and many of the other patrons brought their dogs along for brunch. There was, in particular, a very good yellow labrador who my partner got to pet.
While the six beautiful resident cats at Pokemeow are undoubtedly their main draw, their Asian fusion brunch menu isn’t anything to sneer at either.
I had the black sesame latte while my partner had just a normal large cappuccino. It strikes me that asking for a black sesame latte is more or less asking for fun milk please. A protip to new players, make sure to mix up your black sesame latte – there tends to be a lot of stuff that sediments at the bottom.
We enjoyed the truffle chips, which came covered in a cheesy parmesan. They were fresh out of the fryer and unfaultable.
I quite liked the six spicy fried chicken wings. I thought that they were reasonably priced (≤$10) and freshly fried and delicious. My partner thought they were not as good as the ones we had at Belle’s Hot Chicken the previous night but I thought they stood well on their own.
I felt that the earl grey pancakes were a bit dry on their own, but just fine when combined in a single bite with the provided mascarpone, berries, and sauce. I probably wouldn’t get these again, but my partner was a big fan.
The grilled salmon green tea soba salad was a bit of a weird one. The salmon was pretty standard (no better than anyone could make at home), however I would’ve liked a bit more of it. I couldn’t really appreciate the green tea flavour of the voluminous soba noodles until I had a further bite of a chicken wing to contrast against. I thought that the soba noodles perhaps were featured too prominently in the dish, however did enjoy it once the soba were mostly powered through and I could pair it better with the remaining sesame dressing, carrot, and tomato salad components. My partner didn’t really like this dish, but in retrospect and on deep introspection I did. I probably still wouldn’t get it again. Offer to pay for double salmon if they will let you.
I really enjoyed my visit to Pokemeow. Their food was pretty good, and there are a lot more Asian fusion brunch options left to try. I loved watching the cats play and interact, and would absolutely come back agian.
Got the eponymous Little Cha and the Lychee Luscious. Both with 25% sugar, and both were still too sweet. I enjoyed the toppings (strawberry and passionfruit popping pearls in the Little Cha and lychee jelly in the Lychee Luscious) but not the drinks themselves.
I probably wouldn’t order from Little Cha again.
A Little Cha 152 Bunnerong Rd, Eastgardens NSW 2036 0450 636 940
King of Skewers is a small basketball themed Chinese BBQ skewer restaurant in Kingsford. It is co-located with Beautea, which is my favourite bubble tea place in Kingsford.
The walls are adorned with basketballs, NBA memorabilia, and posters. There is a hoop over the window that peers into the kitchen at the back of the restaurant, but I dared not to shoot as 1) the balls were too high up for me and 2) there was no telling the cost of repairing the excellent fitout by Keeyuen.
Ordering was via the nondescriptive tick a box next to the food on the piece of white paper method. We had basically no idea how our foods would look until they came.
After a reasonably long wait we indulged in these beef, lamb, and pork skewers. They were delicious.
The scallops were too salty and we felt they were overpriced. Often oversauced seafood, especially in Asian cuisine, is a mask for low quality or less fresh ingredients.
We really thought this expensive chicken wing would consist of more than one chicken wing. It was yum but a poor spend of money.
I literally can’t imagine someone painstakingly threading each corn kernel onto a stick, let alone 10 sticks. A+ for effort.
Overall: King of Skewers in Kingsford is the place to be if you’re looking for a basketball themed Chinese BBQ skewer restaurant. I’m still unclear on the relationship between basketball and skewering, but the staple foods were delicious, while the less staple foods (scallops, chicken wing) were less delicious and more overpriced. Make sure you grab a drink from Beautea on the way in.
South Dowling Sandwiches is a local sandwich joint well known for its massive packed sandwiches. A protip is to order online for pickup, as it minimises your wait time and therefore exposure to potential airborne pathogens in COVID-19 2020.
The sandwiches are overall quite good. They generally run around $9-$12, with more asked for the more full featured sandwiches. They are normally loaded with savoury flavours, with their caramelised carrots being a house specialty.
I thought that their tuna salad with lemon chive mayo ($13.50) was actually quite wholesome and delicious, and enjoyed it more than their salads. Can definitely recommend this one.
Overall would recommend giving South Dowling Sandwiches a go. I’m still on the fence about it personally, I think I enjoy the sandwiches at Two Fives a bit more, but they are generally the same concept.
