This medium muscat grape drink with lychee ($10.50) was actually very yummy, but was it worth 15 minutes of my life spent at work to pay for it, and then another 5 minutes standing around waiting for it to be made?
Probably not.
I do love muscat grape though – the kasugai premium grape jelly beans are out of this world.
Ogu Ogu
127-133 Burwood Rd, Burwood NSW 2134
(tagged as bubble tea because even though it’s not bubble tea, that’s the general vibe of it)
In March 2024 we looked a few times at a little terrace in Waterloo, recently renovated, that had exchanged hands 3 times (now 4) in the previous 6 years, mostly in circumstances of relationship breakdown (according to the medical student neighbour). It was nice but felt a bit cramped inside, and though its location was very transit-centric due to the upcoming Metro development, the area just didn’t feel as safe for a couple entering their thirties. This is the story of the meal that we ate afterwards.
The traditional fried sticky rice ($23.80) was quite good. I had never had anything like this before, which seems odd to me since I had thought that I had eaten most types of fried rice by my fourth decade in life. There was plenty of umami little shrimp and bits of sausage inside, and the stickiness helped it to achieve a crispy char on most of the rice. Actually delicious.
The sizzling bean curd beef brisket ($33.80) would’ve been good with some normal steamed white rice, rather than just the already-tasty fried sticky rice. It was a bit expensive in comparison to other restaurants, though the size and flavour was good. The beef came complete with a lot of tendon, and the texture of the meat was soft and juicy as well. I will note that the bean curd it came with was not what I had expected (I had thought it would be fried soft tofu), but ultimately did match well with the rest of the dish.
We ultimately ended up paying about $100,000 more on a place that was more or less just as crowded as the one we looked at. At least the nearby streets feel safer. It is what it is.
Nathan Road Hong Kong Cafe
832 Bourke St, Waterloo NSW 2017
(02) 9194 3770
I really like myself some Vietnamese food, and Ba Mien came highly recommended by the online Vietnamese-Australian community for its selection of specialties from across the three geographical and culinary regions of Vietnam.
This banh cuon with fermented pork and beef ($17) was great. I don’t know if it’s me that’s changed since the first time I had banh cuon in Marrickville back in 2021, or the quality is actually better, but I really enjoyed it. The rice noodles were soft and silky, with good moistness and not a hint of the dryness that I experienced in past lives.
The banh cuon filling, though confined to only small pockets, was flavourful and umami. The spring roll was packed densely with meat and also very good, as was the nem nuong. Total recommendation on this one.
The banh xeo with pork, prawn, squid and scallop ($20) was a bit of a disappointment. It started off strong, freshly deep fried, warm and crispy, but as I ate towards the centre and delved through the greenery I became less sweet about it.
I think my biggest problem with the banh xeo was the unexpected protein. The four types of protein listed on the menu already provided more than enough taste and textural variety, and I did not need insect protein added to the mix as well. One of the reasons I like to eat at restaurants is that it means that I don’t have to wash and prepare my ingredients, but the normally unspoken hope in this is that even though I don’t have to, someone else will do it for me. I’m sad to say that my favourite banh xeo remains to be from banh xeo bar in Rosebery, which, given its vaguely fusion roots, I don’t know if that makes me a bad Asian.
Comments
The banh cuon was really good, but I think the washing of the vegetables would go a long way. Quite affordable.
Ba Mien (3 Miền)
324 Chapel Rd, Bankstown NSW 2200
0413 772 343
The initial part of this review is for the Pork Bean Curd Roll 鲜竹卷
I rarely ever do frozen grocery reviews (because of pure laziness), but this was actually pretty good. It is a pack of frozen bean curd roll / 鮮竹捲 / xiān zhú juǎn / sin zuk gyun that was only like $7 or something.
They were simple to steam, and though they came out relatively wet, all I had to do to eat them was fish them out with some chopsticks.
The flavour was quite accurate, the bean curd wrapper was soft, and they were packed with meaty filling.
They’re not a luxury meal, I don’t think they’re much worse than what you would get at yum cha. I’d have them again.
Best Flavour Dim Sims Australia 精美点心 Pork Bean Curd Roll 鲜竹卷
UPC 9337087000243
The second part of this review is for the Sticky Rice Chicken 糯米雞
I thought about just adding this onto the existing post about Best Flavour Dim Sims Australia 精美点心’s Pork Bean Curd Roll 鲜竹卷, but felt that restructuring it would be too difficult, as it’s already been published. I will likely come to regret this in the future, as I write reviews for more and more products made by the same companies. That’s a problem for future me, not now me. Amazing, it is a problem for now me after all.
Like the bean curd roll, this lo mai gai is actually also very good, easy to steam at home, and tastes just like the real thing.
The fillings are full of chicken, lap cheung, sticky rice, and a small amount of crispy lotus. The only thing missing is a salted egg yolk, which to be honest isn’t always present at yum cha nuò mǐ jī anyway.
Once again, I can wholeheartedly recommend.
Best Flavour Dim Sims Australia 精美点心 Sticky Rice Chicken 糯米雞
UPC 9337087000441
My junior/friend/colleague brought me these banh mi for lunch at work, not knowing that I am lowkey a banh mi influencer in the microsphere of Western Sydney. My thoughts, however brief, should be taken in the context of a approximately 5 hour dwell time within the enhanced post-operative care unit’s breakroom refrigerator.
Within limits of dwell-time, these were still only OK. The meat in the crackling pork roll ($7.50) was plentiful, especially for the price, but neither it nor the cold cut pork roll ($7) had adequate vegetable to carry moisture through the course of the meal. These rolls also lacked the deliciously unhealthy concotion of butter/Vietnamese mayo, instead featuring a rather more pedestrian and Western margarine-like spread instead.
I’m told there are a number of different hot bread stores in the area. Perhaps another, next time?
Nguyen Hot Bread
33 Canley Vale Rd, Canley Vale NSW 2166