San Ma Ru - Help St Chatswood

Have a cold? Sinuses playing up? Well, pay a visit to San Ma Ru then.
On a recommendation of Korean buddy, we all ventured to Chatswood to sample this tiny Korean eatery. The restaurant is hidden away and dwarfed by the bigger Fook Yuen Chinese restaurant above.

First appearances suggest that this a family affair and we later learn that the owner is the chef. For a small restaurant, the menu was extensive. Of course, the focus is on Korean dishes, but for those who are not as adventurous, there are a range of familiar Japanese choices.

We ordered our own mains, I decided on the spicy pork bulgogi. We also ordered a Korean "pancake" as a shared entree. I was expecting tea but was only served water and we were all expecting the traditional Korean side dishes to arrive after our order but they did not arrive until just before the entree was served.

The "pancake" was delicious. Not too heavy nor oily. A perfect start to our meal. A bowl of rice accompanied my bulgogi. This was no watered down bulgogi that catered to locals. It was definitely spicy and as an Asian used to hot food, this was as hot as anything I have eaten for a while. Not long into meal I was reaching for the Kleenex as my nose started to run.
The pork was tender and hot! I loved it.

I also tried a couple of spoons of the Seol Rung Tang. A spicy beef soup with lots of flavour. It is said in Korea when this soup is made, that the maker of the soup is going go away on a trip or will be travelling for an extended period. Obviously can be made in volumes and be used as a base for many meals.

We left our tables comepletely satiated and impressed with what we had consumed. Sure, we had to wait quite a while for the food arrive, but it was defintely worth the wait. Also available were many cook at table options which would be interesting to try, I will have to come back and test it out.

Nice dining atmosphere, attentive waiters and a restaurant frequented by mostly Koreans is also an endorsement to the authenticity of the food.

Rating : ***

Blue Fish Darling Harbour

Winter had arrived early on a cold Sunday evening. Being shown to my seat in this outdoor restaurant was reassuring, as above us were heating vanes to keep us all warm at the table. Good start! Service from the staff was quite attentive, they promptly were around to ask for our drinks and to order the main meal.
The focus in this restaurant is on seafood. I ordered myself a serving of salt and pepper calamari. Others indulged in the barramundi on a bed of rice, seafood linguini, tandoori salmon and just to be a different, a steak!
My order arrived about 15 minutes later. My idea of a large serve of salt and pepper calamari did not quite commensurate with the cook's intepretation of a large serving. The saying that good things come in small packages was not applicable to my order either. My tastebuds could only discern battered calamari and dipping sauce, disappointing, when they were expecting to be hit with the zing of szechuan pepper and zest of sea salt. The produce was fresh, but it was sadly missing the flavour I had expected. After racing through my dinner, I then had the chance to try the barramundi. The fish was excellent. Cooked through perfectly. The only gripe I would have was with the overpowering strength of the soy sauce that accompanied the rice, it tended to mask the natural flavour of the fish.

Overall this place was a bit of a hit and miss affair. Fresh ingredients that lack the finishing touch were the main letdowns. Mains were between 23-33 dollars. The location coupled with almost non-stop tourist traffic dictates the high price per main. With Jordons just round the corner, and Nick's across the water on the Cockle Bay side, this restaurant is somewhat out of its league, consider as third option if the competition is booked out or full.

Rating : **

BBQ King Restaurant on Goulburn Street

BBQ King's interior and exterior does not make a compelling argument to the discerning diner that they do offer quality food that is authentic to it's origins. Simple chairs, a basic table and a pile of menus greeted us. No bookings were required and we did not have issues as a group of six, getting a table at 8pm on a Sunday.

While perusing the menu we were treated to the house soup. Full of flavour it went down well. Not long after placing our order, the first of the dishes started arriving. First off we had a roasted duck. Definitely a good choice, nicely flavoured perhaps just a touch dry. Next dish was the soya chicken. The soya chicken was succulent and cooked through just perfectly. The scallops with ginger and spring onions was next and were good except, for me the spring onions were strong and the lingering after taste, lingered until this morning despite repeated attempts to rid the taste. Anywhere else, the cod fish and tofu would have been highlight but against the other dishes we had ordered it languished as it was a touch bland. The spinach and crabmeat was unique and the contrast of the crunchy spinach and soft crab had me going back for more. The final dish was a simple mushroom and pak choy. If you're a vegetarian this dish would be perfect for you. Mushrooms were perfect, big, round and juicy. The pak choy may have been overcooked and were a bit hard to munch through.

For a table six of which there were 3 hungry males, there was more than enough food. Really good value. A restaurant with no delusions of grandeur, yet the dishes do the talking!


Rating : ***

First of hopefully many foodie posts

The idea of creating this blog was borne out of the need of not having enough information out there on the net to make an informed decision of where to go eat on a Friday or Saturday night. So my aim here is to give you an opinion(not very educated) of the food I sample. Where possible I will try include some pictures of the dishes I sample. Hopefully my unbiased commentary coupled with photographic evidence may just be the swaying factor in deciding to pick a restaurant for your next night out.
Bon Appetit!