Universal, Darlinghurst

Short post today. At least this form of procrastination hopefully gets my literacy skills up. I'll need it because my spelling is gradually becoming worse. Seriously. I think I'm just too used to marking incorrect writing that I've accepted it as the norm. My kids have just finished their Hsc and what better way to celebrate then with something that gets them away from their usual appalling diet of Mcdonald's happy meals. Universal is located right across Lucio's Pizzeria on the courtyard and is a convienient walk away for a quick drink or to satisfy the occasional sweet tooth.

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Lucio's Pizzeria, Darlinghurst

Lucio's pizzeria is one of the many alfresco restaurants located on a courtyard down the strip of Liverpool street. I've been here numerous times but never got to blogging it and I thought it was about due for a posting. Lucio's Pizzeria is a family favourite. A friend favourite too because it's one of the places I love to bring my friends to.

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New Shanghai, Ashfield

Always keen for a good xiao long bao, we went down Ashfield one lazy Sunday afternoon hopeful to find a shop who offers it. Haha please. When walking into Ashfield, you'll encounter a multitude of dumpling options to choose from down the strip of Hume Highway and be hard pressed not to find a shop which offers xiao long bao. Which is a good thing. 

The interior looks fancy and it was promising to see the kitchen so efficient and high tech with the stainless steel and black smooth brickwork interior.

New Shanghai steamed mini pork bun 6.8

Xiao Long Bao arrive perfectly formed, plump and juicy. It is well seasoned already so taste it first before adjusting the saltage with soy sauce.

New Shanghai pan fried pork bun 8.8

The shen jian bao here are bloody brilliant. It's missing more of that much desired soup and the dough's a bit much but the bottom... Oh crispy bottom exterior. There's nothing quite like it. It's just brilliant how insanely crispy ours were. 

Sliced fresh fish congee 7.8

A very unadorned congee is a very unappreciated thing; it comes missing the usual garnishes but the simplicity is pleasantly remarkable on our end. The chunks of fish were incredibly fresh with none of that fishy taste which was nice and only perfumed with thin hits of light ginger.

Beef in five special sauce noodle soup 8.8

Beef noodle arrives but it comes not quite the way we expect it. I think I'm too used to the large moreish chunks of slow cooked beef, deep, heady broth and thick ramen but this pleasantly surprises. The lighter, almost medicinal broth can be very much credited to the 5 spice along with the thin slices of beef which results in a pleasant finish to the evening.

As seems to be sadly accepted within most Chinese restaurants, service seems to be a bit irregular but I'm hardly there for the service. Still it does leave sort of a sour note. Chairs are placed within doorways and often you'll sit forgotten waiting to grab a waiters attention but on the bright side they are incredibly efficient. It's undeniably delicious food and the locals would certainly agree with me.


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n2 Extreme Gelato, Chinatown

Liquid nitrogen seems to be the current craze of 2012. It's been out for a while; chefs have been using it in nearly everything (exaggeration) but n2 extreme gelato can quite be credited with making it popular to the public. Nothing quite like seeing some smoke billowing from your gelato right?

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Mother Chu's Taiwanese Gourmet, Chinatown

This is hardly the first time I've been to Mother Chu's. Always packed with keen eaters, you'll be hard pressed to find Mother Chu's empty at any given time of the day. As a family favourite, we already know what to pick and what to avoid.

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Duke Bistro - The Duke's Regale, Surry Hills

Duke's Bistro, often described as the hipsters hideout, is known as much for it's edgy fit out as it is for its eclectic and experimental creativity. Browsing through 2012's list of Crave Sydney dinners reveals a fair few promising dinners. Unfortunately, my meager budget leaves me very careful about the places I choose. If you're really interested in a dinner, here's my advice: the day the calender for October comes out, seize that opportunity to find the events you like and book them quick. A lot of the events get booked out in a couple of days and most after a fortnight if i'm not mistaken so the early bird really gets the worm.

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Taste the Chase, Chatswood

Thank you to Jocelyn from magenta for inviting me to cover the Taste the Chase. It was a bit disorganised with the whole interview dilemma but we did manage to happily get there in the end. 

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