Categories
Asian Fusion Café Japanese Korean

Mint & Aoshiso – Sydney Olympic Park NSW Restaurant Review

Mint & Aoshiso is a Korean/Japanese-fusion cafe and pizzeria, set in Sydney Olympic Park’s high-rise residential district, surrounded by 5, 30, and 60 minute street parking spots. We visited on a quiet morning in February 2021, patting ourselves on our backs for having found a coveted 1 hour parking spot. Our meal that day was served no less than 39 minutes after our receipt was printed reflecting payment made for our order, just as I had left in dismay to move my car. Despite this, I will review the food served in an objective fashion.

This yakiniku beef pizza ($24), part of Mint & Aoshisho’s specialty fusion pizza range, was quite the disappointment. Though being differentiated from Korean BBQ marinated pizza offerings on their menu, I would characterise the taste of the sauces and meats on this pizza as more Korean BBQ than Japanese BBQ in flavour. Though allegedly woodfired, the base on this pizza was too moist and bready, and considering that $24 is enough to get very good pizzas from very good pizza restaurants anywhere in Sydney, I can’t anti-recommend this particular pizza enough.

The first thing you should know about these Takoyaki Chips ($9) is that there is absolutely no Tako, nor is there any Yaki. Lacking any actual octopus, these chips are merely inspired by takoyaki – essentially normal potato chips that have been loaded with bonito flakes, mayonnaise, and a sweet okonomoyaki sauce. We ate these chips out of hunger and sadness at our wait. I would not order these again, even if I somehow found myself stranded in Olympic Park in a thunderstorm.

The Smoked Chicken Poke ($22) was the last to come, and the best of the lot. It was served under cling wrap which when removed released a small amount of smoke. The chicken was very tender and along with the rice, edamame and cabbage had a strong smoke flavour. Whilst I wasn’t the biggest fan of the smoke flavour and worry sometimes about the health implications, each component of this poke bowl was otherwise delicious.

A microdose of freshly-squeezed sugarcane juice did not make up for the experience.

A large latte, at $4.30, was sharply priced.

VERDICT
The smoked chicken bowl was the one good thing that we had at Mint & Aoshiso, and unfortunately in this case I don’t think one good thing makes up for the rest of the visit.

Mint & Aoshisho
Shop 2/1 Brushbox St, Sydney Olympic Park NSW 2127
0452 438 807

Categories
Asian Fusion Bakery Café Korean

10000 LAB (TENTHOUSAND) – Silverwater NSW Restaurant Review

2022 EDIT: It is possible that at the time of publishing they are no longer open at this location, but still have a location in Eastwood NSW.

I was first introduced to the concept of the eggified Korean toastie through Toastiesmith’s launch on social media in mid 2020. Living on the wrong side of the bridge to their Chatswood store, I watched and I waited and I watched and I waited for their September opening in Darling Square, only to find that this particular outpost would only be open Monday-Friday, breakfast and lunch (read: inaccessible from a parking perspective alone, even though I was working a week-on, week-off roster at the time).

It’s been almost a full year and I still haven’t made it to Toastiesmith. My move to Western Sydney has meant that it’s not so simple to make a quick trip into the city for a feed, even if their Darling Square store is now open 7 days and into the evening. Where I have been able to eat is 10,000 LAB, a kind-of similar cake, coffee, and Korean toastie establishment based in Silverwater and Eastwood.

I had the Egg, Cheese, and Spicy Chicken Toastie ($10), as well as the Egg, Cheese, Avocado and Sausage Toastie ($10). The guy working there double checked to make sure that I wanted both, and in retrospect this should’ve been a sign that one toastie would be enough for one man.

Both toasties shared the same fluffy and sweet bread, lightly toasted on the outside. They had excellent filling to breading ratios, each absolutely stuffed with ingredients. The scrambled egg in each toastie was cooked well, and would be able to stand on its own as a non-toastie option if 10,000 were to ever want to branch out.

The egg, cheese, and spicy chicken toastie was the weaker of the two, with a strong spicy sauce taste that I felt overpowered the flavour of the delicate eggs. I had expected some kind of diced chicken breast or thigh filling, however reality did not match with my expectation as I found some kind of ham-like processed chicken protein inside instead. Unfortunate.

The egg, cheese, avocado and sausage toastie was quite a bit better. There was no overpowering sauce flavour, meaning that I could actually taste each of the toastie’s constituent ingredients. The mildness and slight sweetness of the cheese, egg, and avocado combined well and contrasted with the saltiness of the sausage to hit a good balance. This was definitely the better of the two.

This was actually a very good soy latte ($4.30).

VERDICT
Lured by the promises made by their (admittedly more expensive) competitor’s social media campaigns, I think I expected something a little bit more from 10 000 LAB. It’s not their fault.

10 000 LAB Silverwater
135/79-87 Beaconsfield St, Silverwater NSW 2128
0480287755

Categories
Chinese Dessert

Blackball – Eastwood NSW Restaurant Review

I thought my Qffle days were behind me, having had many a Qffle from the Blackball in 206 Bourke St back when I lived in Melbourne. It was only tonight, four years since my last Qffle, that I discovered that BlackBall does indeed have Sydney based stores. What a delight.

This is some milo soft serve. My girlfriend liked it. I didn’t care that much for it. It consists of milo soft serve, some sago balls, and quite a nice vanilla wafter biscuit. Honestly, just fine. Nothing like the Qffle.

This is the Qffle. Underground legend. It is a freshly made waffle with a very gooey centre. No too sweet and absolutely delicious. Great with ice cream, bubble tea, and also served with your choice of sweet or savoury topping. Also amazing on its own, which is how I like mine. Sleeper hit. No idea why it’s called what it is. Give it a try.

EDIT: After reading this entry my partner helped me to understand that the Qffle is clearly named after the gooey Q texture hidden just underneath the crispy outer layer.

Black Ball Eastwood
206 Rowe St, Eastwood NSW 2122
0406 588 133

Categories
Chinese

Mr Stonepot – Eastwood NSW Restaurant Review

Incepted by Goldthread’s YouTube videos on xiao long bao and claypot rice, my partner and I made our way to Eastwood’s Mr Stonepot with a view of having both. While we found out tonight that stonepot is not quite the same as claypot, we still had quite a nice time trying out somewhat novel and not quite traditional items on their menu. Service was rapid, and we were able to experience the full spectrum of having our number shouted out at the front door as well as completely silent service from our waiter – two extremes that would probably displease most Australian diners but were probably part of the restaurant’s focus on hyper-efficiency.

The pork ribs in blueberry sauce ($8.80) sounded quite fancy and promising, but ended up just being sweet and sour pork served in a tiny bowl on a much larger plate, dusted with icing sugar. The blueberry flavour was not readily apparent, and really only noticed when the dish had cooled to room temperature. Non-special.

The xiao long bao (8 for $9.80) at Mr. Stonepot are both cheap and good, though after watching the above-linked video on xiao long bao perhaps they were a bit overdoughed on the superior aspect. Nonetheless, the taste was really clear and porky, earning my partner’s prized rating of “probably the best [she’s] had recently”.

The apple flavour smoked cumin lamb ribs with rosemary and chilli and onion ($19.80), true to its name, featured all of those flavours and ingredients. The lamb ribs were actually extremely tender and well cooked, falling off the bone and consisting also of a delicious, molten layer of fat and skin surrounding the meat. Whilst the rosemary was on full display, the chilli, apple, smoke, and onion elements were only accessible through the detritus at the bottom of the dish – easily missed if one were to eat just the ribs themselves. These were quite exemplary ribs, even if the smoke flavour was a bit irritating.

The Singapore style barramundi ($19.80) was an entire barramundi cooked in the Singaporean sweet chilli style and served in a sizzling stone pot. Whilst this photo probably fails to capture it, I was very impressed by the sheer size of this dish, having paid more for single fillets of barramundi numerous times at Sydney’s cafes. Though an extremely generous serving for price, I can’t say that I was a big fan of the Singaporean sweet chilli flavour in this particular dish, and wish it were offered with a different sauce or base.

The abalone black truffle rice with abalone sauce ($7.80) was one of only two stonepot items that featured rice, ordered in a vain attempt to fulfill our desire for claypot rice. The unfortunate difference between claypot and stonepot, as we were quite to realise upon gleaming the menu, is that claypots are inherently porous, helping to add the crispy outer layer to rice. This rice, cooked in a stonepot, did not have such a crispy exterior layer. Only two pieces of abalone were present in this rice bowl, suitable for the price paid though disappointing to the mouth. The black truffle, second item of note in the dish’s title, was nowhere to be found, with only very standard mushroom slices and a whiff of what was probably truffle oil over real truffle itself identified. Despite these misgivings, this is a perfectly adequate fried rice style bowl for $8.

OTHER NOTES
The couple to our right had received a bug in their order of jellyfish, and on informing their waiter received an apology and a promise that they would take the dish back to the kitchen and remove the bug. Said couple was not pleased.

The couple on our left arrived 3 minutes before the kitchen closed at 8:30PM, was told strictly that they had 3 minutes to make their choices, following which the maitre d’ returned and ripped the order form and menu out of their hands. This didn’t seem to bother them, though, as the wife of the party had come in actively eating a grocery store brought ice cream, and then continued to eat lollies as she waited and a full prepacked salad once her food came, tell her husband “I’m trying to lose weight, I have to eat salad with each meal.”

VERDICT
If you are into loud environments without much social distancing, abrupt service, pretty good Chinese food, and a strict adherence to the kitchen’s last order time you will love Mr Stonepot.

Mr Stonepot Eastwood
205 Rowe St, Eastwood NSW 2122
(02) 9804 8688

Categories
Dessert

Anita Gelato – Bondi Beach NSW Restaurant Review

A few quick takes about Anita Gelato, Bondi Beach

  • Generally quite good, and I would not hesitate to come back considering Messina is the other nearby alternative
  • Cup size is inferior to cone size in terms of serving
  • It’s nice that cup-havers don’t have to miss out on waffle, with these waffle disks
  • Black forest was very good
  • Mascarpone ricotta strawberries was good
  • Chocolate and salted pretzel was good
  • Watermelon and mint was not so good
  • I will never be a Bondi local

Anita Gelato
180 Campbell Parade, Bondi Beach NSW 2026
(02) 8188 4166