Cafe de Hong Kong

Do you ever wonder why a shopping village on one side of the street does better than the other?  Or so it seems?

Anyway, for me, I've always headed out to Carlingford Court to do my shopping and eating.  I've neglected going to Carlingford Village for a couple of years.  I am not sure why but I think it's because I don't get a really good feeling about the outlets that are there or the overall look and feel of the shopping village itself which continues to evolve.

After a hiatus, something a friend said triggered the urge to check it out.  I went there on a Sunday afternoon for lunch.  I was quite surprised that this place was bustling.  They have also installed a car park turnstile and are limiting your shopping times.  The car park seemed to be really busy on this Sunday afternoon.

Heading up to the ground floor it is easy to see why.  There were people queuing up for Yum Cha or trying to get a seat at some of the other cheaper Asian cafes.  Again, it is obvious, the cafes on one side (i.e. towards the food court) was doing well while a newer one which must have opened recently was having some difficulties filling their seats.

The food court itself is quite interesting with delicacies from Beijing and Shanghai.  As I was not familiar with what was on offer and whether they were good, I opted for the safer option of having lunch at Cafe de Hong Kong.  This cafe has been around for a couple of years.  Small and quite snug.

Families were coming in, seated and it is interesting to note that each member has their own "activity" to occupy themselves be it their newspaper or their play station... hmmm...

Anyway, once a table is available you are seated down quickly.  But again, do not expect much service as it is very hard to catch the waiter / waitress' eye... even though they could be walking around but no one is able to see your raised hands to take your order.

For a small cafe, the menu is extensive, typical of a cafe you would find in Hong Kong.  Food is served quickly and it is reasonably priced.

This is a cafe which also offers congee (nice!) for those who do not want the hassle of jostling for a car spot in Eastwood on a weekend.

Sampan Congee

Combination Rice Noodle

Ripples at Sydney Wharf

It was a beautiful spring day when we decided to head out to the recently opened "The Star" (the old casino) to watch Hairspray the Musical.  Since we were early, we decided to walk around the food hall.  The food hall looked very inviting, classy and Flying Fish has just started.  Once all the outlets open, there would be quite a few interesting food options for Sydneysiders.  However, I am not sure if there are ample seating capacity to cater for the anticipated crowd... oh well... I must say "The Star" is a great addition to the Sydney scene and hope that it remains this way.

Prior to the musical, my friend had made a lunch booking at Ripples, Sydney Wharf.  The restaurant is one of many chains around Sydney and is situated at the wharf and one could watch the ferries / private boats come through.  As it was lunch time, there were a lot of people getting fit around the promenade.

I like the feel of this restaurant.  The colourful chairs blended this restaurant with the scenery - bright and not stale.  The service was great as well, attentive but not obtrusive and were aware that had some time constraints.

We had their lunch special as we did not have much time.  The lunch special was their signature beer battered fish and chips with a glass of wine.  I must say the fish was cooked to perfection with a nice crunchy batter as is the chips.  This is the epitome of the perfect fish and chips when you can't spot a blob of oil on the batter ... great setting to go back to, to sit and enjoy the expansive views.

Taste of Shanghai

Taste of Shanghai has been in existence in Eastwood for more than 2 years now.  Personally, I haven't eaten there for a while until lately I decided to check it out.

I was pleasantly surprised - they had renovated the interior and it looked a lot better than when it first started.  I guess they realised that they were not utilising the space efficiently when they had private rooms along one side, which often meant that those customers in the private rooms were suffering from a lack of service. They have also moved their dumpling open kitchen to the side.  What emerged now is definitely a more pleasant environment and looks cleaner with the walls decked out with paintings resembling Shanghai.

The menu has not changed but has expanded to include some set options for lunch / dinner before 5.30pm.

The quality of dumplings is the same.  This time round we ordered the XO fried rice with chicken and the wontons in chilli oil.  I must say the XO fried rice was very very tasty.  The wontons were not too bad either but just like the description - wontons sprinkled with chilli oil.

Will definitely be back to try some other specialties ....and then hop across the road for my grass jelly dessert at Meet Fresh!