Chuuka, Pyrmont (3 July 3019)

Jones Bay Wharf, 19-21 Pirrama Rd, Pyrmont NSW 2009
https://www.chuuka.com.au/
https://www.instagram.com/chuukasydney/

Chuuka Chuuka Boom Boom

“Chinese flavours. Japanese precision. Victor Liong and Chase Kojima have joined forces to create food like you’ve never seen before. What is CHUUKA? CHUUKA is marching to the beat of your own drum. CHUUKA is a world of contrasts that defies categorisation. CHUUKA is CHUUKA.”

Restaurant life looking great matched with good service, a lovely view of the Harbour Bridge and a promising menu at this former Flying Fish restaurant location. I fondly remember back in the good old days of blogging when tweetups were a thing.

It's their first day and my preference for the Wood cocktail of barrel-aged & hickory-smoked shiso umeshu, Bulleit rye, Campari ($19) is unfortunately not yet available so opted for the Japanese Gin & Tonic ($16) using a Japanese style gin from Cambridge Distillery with juniper, shiso leaf, sesame seeds, cucumber, sansho and yuzu. A lovely drop but I'm not a fan of the glassware style as the ice tends to fall onto your face when you get to the end of your drink unless you're using a straw. I much prefer my gin and tonics in tumbler style glasses for a more relaxing drink experience #firstworldproblems. To start Pacific oyster, bonito soy yuzu, spring onion oil ($5) have a tasty dressing that makes up for them being preshucked. Oyster lovers will still appreciate the balance of flavours to compliment the oyster's creaminess.

CHUUKA ‘Ebi Chilli’, stir-fried prawn, chilli miso butter, Japanese milk buns ($42) comes with 6 large prawns. You'll also get 6 milk buns. I was given 4 in this instance but could have asked for the other 2. I would have loved to take the left over buns home for the kids but unfortunately takeaway not allowed at the restaurant. Sauce was tasty with a pleasant hum of chilli. The perfectly soft buns served warm are handy to mop up the sauce. Prawn texture wasn't quite as firm as preferred on this occasion but after mentioning to the chef he has since made amendments in the kitchen to rectify for the better. Good use of the cleaned out prawn heads which have been fried to a decent crisp for added texture and to enjoy eating whole. Dish best shared between at least 2-3 people.

Chase’s ‘Tempura Yuzu Chicken’, dried chilli, sweet & sour yuzu sauce ($24) is apparently one of their signature dishes. Tasty flavour reminding me of a sweet & sour sauce with some chilli heat but it's not as angry as it looks unless you bite on the dried chillis. Pleasant crisp batter that adds some crunch to the dish. My only suggestion would be keeping the chicken pieces a touch smaller to make it easier to pickup and eat with the chopsticks gracefully. A good one to share between 3-4 people.

The menu is designed to share and dishes are served in the order they're ready. I think best suited for dining as a table of 4 to try a few things. Wine by the glass starts from $13 for whites and $16 for reds. Decor looking good for business lunches but families seem welcome as well when I spot a baby change table available in the toilet.

Heston for Coles: Chicken, Leek & Mushroom Pie (29 Aug 2014)

http://www.hestonforcoles.com.au

Heston for Home

Lazy dinner of Heston for Coles Chicken, Leek & Mushroom Pie ($13, 2 pieces) is a tasty success combined with some oven baked sweet potato and peas. Cooked in the oven for about 30 minutes was too easy. Pastry was quite nice and the parmesan cheese crusty on top was a winner. I thought I'd need some sauce but the filling was pretty saucy more than meaty. I enjoyed the flavours and would happily have again. Makes me want to try more of the range now.

SNAPSHOT REVIEW:

PROS: Tasty, Easy to cook, RSPCA Approved Chicken Meat, Seems fairly low in sugar, No artificial colours and flavours

CONS: Daily intake of saturated fat is 104% per serving which sounds like it might be high?

MUST TRY: Other products in the Heston for Coles range

VERDICT: Easy to cook and quite yummy makes for a simple and tasty meal

—

Heston for Coles, Chicken, Leek & Mushroom Pie ($13, 2 pieces) 

Wok on Inn: Asian, The Rocks, Sydney (21 Jan 2014)

26 Playfair Street, The Rocks Square, The Rocks NSW 2000

http://www.wokoninn.com.au

“Wok on Inn was created to bring the best of Asian culture – food and smiles to you. Our vibrant restaurants take you on a flavour safari. What we do is authentic. Whether it’s serving you bold, homemade recipes from the hawker stands of Bangkok and Shanghai or creating an edgy, urban street atmosphere within our restaurants.”

I vaguely remember when I first visited Wok on Inn in Balmain years ago and at a later time the Oxford Street store in Darlinghurst. My recollection of what I ate is also vague but it's never become a place I wanted to return to so I'm suspecting it's because the menu or dishes at the time weren't that memorable. Today I try the Pad Thai Prawn & Chicken ($13.95) for a quick lunch and found the dish surprisingly enjoyable compared to other Pad Thais I've eaten over the years. The chicken was tender and the three large prawns for the $1 extra was worth getting. Noodles were nice, the sauce was quite tasty and the lemon helped to cut through a bit of the sweetness. There's was just enough bean sprouts to offer a nice crunch to the dish. If I was to be picky there was just a couple of larger pieces of shallot shalks that were a bit large for the dish. As per most Asian dishes it comes down to the chef which will determine how good to the dish is so time will tell if I'd get the same enjoyable dish from one of the other stores but for now I'd be willing to return to try something else on the menu like the Pad C U.

SNAPSHOT REVIEW:

PROS: Friendly and efficient service, Fairly reasonably priced menu for dishes cooked to order, Lots of seating

CONS: Watch out for the seagulls and pigeons looking for a free feed around the outdoor seating area

MUST TRY: Pad Thai plus returning to try other dishes

VERDICT: Enjoyed the Pad Thai and would be tempted to try something else on the menu for a quick and simple lunch

—

Pad Thai Chicken & Prawn ($13.95) — tasty and enjoyable
WORTH TRYING :-)

Found a couple of shallot stalks that were just a bit too big for the dish

Menu

View Larger Map