Schnitzel lunch at Wynyard Station - The Occidental Hotel, Sydney

I rolled up for lunch to an old favourite, The Occidental Hotel or as the locals call it, 'The Oxy'. I needed a quick feed for lunch and the menu, although not extensive, was very cheap and what would normally be expected from an establishment with a front bar, colourful patterned carpet, and tiles up the walls.

This is the menu as seen on the street and on the table:

And the meal. Whilst it wasn't he best I have ever had, the meal was pretty hearty and for $12 I couldn't complain. Also the beer was very cheap so for under $20 I got a quick fix and I was on my way. Until next time Oxy!

The Addictive Pie Shop, North Haven, NSW

I was on a road trip back from Port Macquarie a couple of weeks ago and I needed a quick fix. I landed up at 'The Addictive Pie Shop' at North Haven. I did take some pics and I want to tell you about it. The pies have always been a favourite of mine. People on the North Coast rave on about freddo's pies... and local pie shops.... that are very good, but this is a staple that almost deserves a special trip.

I had the pepper steak. I have some photos. Enjoy.

The Corner Restaurant in Port Macquarie

I went up the coast and visited Port Macquarie again over the weekend. One of the long standing favourite restaurants for people who love a decent eating out experience is The Corner Restaurant. It sits under the Macquarie Waters Hotel and I ducked in for a quick bite to eat with a friend and I must say the food is really well done. The lunch menu is excellent, probably slightly expensive but you definitley get what you pay for through good food and service.

According to a few people I spoke to, they all rate it as the best in town. It actually has the atmosphere that ties itself to a nice dining experience unlike the many badly run cafes in Port Macquarie.

Both of us had The Angus Steak Sandwich which is served on sour dough. Delicious. Perfect lunchtime snack and the chips which were probably deep fried thrice were yummo! I got a couple of pics below. Enjoy

Pro tip: Ask for the steak to be cooked rare if that's your thing.

The Angus Steak Sandwich ($20):

The Menu:

The details:

The Corner Restaurant
11 Clarence Street
Port Macquarie NSW 2444
02 6583 3300

Renkon Japanese, Crows Nest - Yummo!

Renkon Japanese

82 Willoughby Road 

Crows Nest, NSW

Tuesday night was date night this week and we landed back up at Crows Nest for dinner. After a quick toddle around we decided to try somewhere new. We were actually heading for Guzmen Y Gomez which has been a favourite takeaway at the moment, but we stopped just short of that on Willoughby Road - Renkon Japanese.

Like a lot of little restaurants in Crows Nest I hadn't even noticed this Japanese eatery before. It was pretty quiet and it looks like this place makes it money from the takeaway trade so I wasn't scared off by the lack of people sitting down.

For 2 mains, 2 entree's a beer and an ice tea it was $40. That is pretty damn cheap. I will let the photos do the talking but in summary it was super quick (almost ridiculously quick) and decent food for the money we paid. This is definitely worth checking out if you are in the area. 

Maybe it is just my experiences in the past, but the other thing to mention about Crows Nest Japanese is it tends to be quite expensive - this was a nice change. Enjoy the pics...

St Leonards, Victoria - Where every day is a Sunday

On the weekend (over Anzac Day) I ventured down to St Leonards in Victoria which is about 30kms from Geelong sitting on Port Philip Bay.

I was only there for one night and I went back to Melbourne on the Friday. But I got a chance to look around.

It's a cute little seaside village with a nice outlook back to Melbourne.With only a population of 2,000 people there are still a few decent cafes and restaurants in the main street along with a supermarket and liquor store. But it is noticeably quiet even on a long weekend. No wonder it is a popular spot for Melbournians.

The Main Street of St Leonards:

I ended up staying at the pub, the St Leonards Hotel and it was pretty good. Besides being one of the few options in St Leonards, having food and booze under the bed always appeals to me... but check out the view!! It must have one of the best beer gardens in this part of Australia.

The rooms were good and had lcd tv's and comfy beds. What you would call the higher end for pub stay accommodation, but obviously this area relies heavily on the tourism trade and needs to offer something nice for those quiet periods outside peak season.

Last photos - the pub food:

All in all a pleasant trip. I will return.

Back to Vietnam: I Love Pho, Crows Nest

I went to Vietnam a few months ago. I did like the food and the people and everything about the country except, once I got back I found it to be so expensive in Sydney it was almost as if I felt like I was being ripped off.

I recall being in Hanoi and being served Pho and a beer for around about a buck! The beer (fresh beer) was pretty average and I must admit I didn't feel great afterwards but the beer was probably made with water from that big lake they have there.

Anyway, I felt like eating pho again as it is a  cold night in Sydney.

We had a bit of a feed tonight at a local restaurant in Crows Nest called I Love Pho. We started with a bit of bun xao for entree (about $12), after that we had Pho Tai ($12.50), which was pretty good. It's now almost 3 month since I got back, but I give it an 8/10. The chilli was delicious and the beer was cold so I can't complain. The few times I have gone out for pho in Sydney since I got back

Also, on a side note, I always recall the stock being really cloudy when it came out and it wasn't in this time around... You could almost see the noodles ;). The 333 beer was $7 (getting beaten up on price again) but it was cold and just what I needed on a Tuesday night.

Check it out here http://ilovepho.com.au/ or at 47 Willoughby Rd, Crows Nest.

Some photos:

Traditional Australian Chinese by Sun Hing, Port Macquarie

I visited Port Macquarie again. It was pouring rain and late at night so I had to make a decision quickly. Eateries close early in Port Macquarie most of the time but when it's poor weather they tend to close as soon as they can get everyone out. 

We ended up dining in at a place called Sun Hing. The reviews on the internet paint a pretty poor picture both dining in and takeaway so I was't sure if it was the right choice but I was hungry and time was running out. 

We ordered soup all round, 2 entrees, 3 mains and dessert to share, drinks and tea and all up it came to $120 split between 4 people. It seemed pretty reasonable for the amount of food and drink (no alcohol) we ended up with. We took away about 5 takeaway containers with leftovers. 

The Food

It wasn't as bad as the internet portrayed. The Aussie favourites the sweet and sour pork and honey chicken had more batter than most fish and chips but it was tasty and we seemed to get through that. The prawn toast was nice and the san choy bow was really fresh as the water cress was really crunchy and delicious. I would say that the fried ice cream was pretty coconuty for my liking but I was slowing down by this point after gorging myself for 45 minutes.

In summary I would say that this is one of those situations where someone obviously expected something other than a regional NSW chinese restaurant and has hit tripadvisor or eatability to vent their anger when they got good honest Aussie Chinese. This place didn't portray itself as a five star authentic chinese restaurant (plastic plates and decor a dead giveaway) and from what I understand this place is has been around longer than me. 

The Menu

The Contact Details

Sun Hing Chinese Restaurant
112 William Street, New South Wales NSW 2444, Australia
(02) 6583 5667

On The Hunt For Banh Mi In Chatswood

I wrote a post about the Banh Mi frenzy in Sydney at the moment. Whilst I love a good Banh Mi, I do get stuck in the habit of visiting the same over and over again.

I ventured up to Chatswood for a bit of a poke around. The three I had read about were:
Sweet Delight Bakery, Cherry Lane Bakery and Vina Bakehouse.

I am sure there are others up there and good ones at that, but I chose visited the suburb on a Sunday. Although very busy, there were a lot of food outlets closed. I started the adventure visiting Sweet Delight Bakery.

Sweet Delight Bakery, 224 Victoria Road Chatswood
It is down the end of Victoria Road near Bunnings and the RTA. Whilst it is a traditional Vietnamese bakery, the pork roll didn't have the expected flavours of a Banh Mi as per the Vietnamese definition. The bread was really good as it is a bakery but the combination of the fillings just didn't do it for me. As you can see the lovely lady making the roll was super enthused when it came time to adding carrot. The chilli and sauce didn't have the flavour I was used to and the pork was quite chewy. Prices started at about $4.80 which is at the higher end in my opinion.

Number two, Cherry Lane, Railway Pde was closed. Located opposite the Western side of the train station, I will get back here one day during the week and update.

Vina Bakehouse, L2 Westfield Chatswood

Last one was pretty good. Although it looked a bit pedestrian, I took the plunge not getting my fix at number two. I was expecting a ham salad roll but this ended up being quite good although expensive at $5 each. The chilli was definitely there and the pate was almost overpowering. The bread roll was also crunchy and soft at the same time.

Don't judge a book by its cover.