Day five started with quite a rush. We woke up late and were already behind in our schedule to explore Bondi. Having already missed breakfast, we arrived at lunch time positively famished. Walking through the commercial area, we were tossing up either an Italian meal at Pompei's or steak at Hurricane's. Having recently recovered from our disappointment at Kingsley's my foreign companion decided that he would like a second shot at Australian Steak. So we opted for Hurricane.
A menu on the door ensured that we were able to decide what we wanted to eat before going in.
We were slightly concerned about the food quality as the restaurant was pretty much empty at our arrival (midday on a Friday), but these concerns turned out to be rather unfounded.
Without much hesitation, we ordered our meals in accordance to what we decided when perusing the menu outside.
My companion ordered the 750g rump steak and chips, with an added serve of garlic sauce. He ordered his steak medium in this instance, and I am of the opinion that this fits the ideal of what medium is supposed to look like. The steak itself was awfully tender for a rump steak (although not as tender as my rib eye), and it had a good strong beefy flavour to the flesh, and the meat had a good texture to it. My friend enjoyed it so much, he managed to devour all 750g effortlessly. In terms of the chips though, we found them to be a bit plain. We would have enjoyed it more if it had better seasoning, nevertheless, it went nicely with the garlic sauce on the side.
In contrast to my companion, I was more forward thinking (considering afternoon tea) and conservative and ordered the 350g rib eye instead. I ordered it rare, and found it to be cooked just right. The flesh was juicy and tender, although not the melt in your mouth type that you get with wagyu, it was still very delicious. I ordered my meal with a side of baked potato. The baked potato was rather creamy and delicious as well.
Hurricane's Grill
Price Range: $40 - $60 per person
Taste: 8.5/10
Value: 7/10
Service: 8/10
Environment: 8/10
As alluded to, after we spent the afternoon at Bondi (which I found rather anticlimatic as I go to the Gold Cost not infrequently), we bussed our way back to the CBD to have tea at Old Vienna Coffee House, which I've been meaning to try since I went to Sydney a couple years ago.
What left such a strong impression on me was the classic elegance of Old Vienna Cafe. It looked rather quaint and classical to the point of being almost poetic.
Due to the fact we were merely having afternoon tea, we opted for a coffee each, and a plate of maple crepes. I liked how the coffee in my Vienna coffee only filled halfway, because it ensured that the cream wouldn't overflow, which is better than the other ones I have experienced in other places. The coffee was very strong and bitter, which is my preferred way of drinking. My friend also liked his cappuccino.
We also really enjoyed the crepe, which was delightfully light and delicate. We were quite glad for choosing maple syrup, because we were able to appreciate the subtle flavours of the crepe rather than be overwhelmed with the topping.
Old Vienna Cafe
Price Range: $10 - $20 per person
Taste: 7/10
Value: 7/10
Service: 7/10
Environment: 9/10
One thing that we had always planned to do in Sydney was to attend the Friday Night Chinatown Markets. Of the (few) stalls there, what really aught my attention was Mamak, whom my buddy Burger Connoisseur had heavily recommended during the Noodle Night Markets last year.
While they had a number of good options, we opted for the most famous Roti Canai. Whilst I am definitely not a fan of curry, I enjoyed the tasty flaky pastry very much. I also found the curry to be quite mild in spice, but strong in flavour. I could definitely understand why it was so popular amongst friends.
The next (and final) thing that caught our attention was Colo Tako, which had a huge queue around the stall. It sold four different types of takoyaki, octopus, prawn, crab and vege. We opted to try out the crab one.
After ordering, it took quite a while before our takoyaki came out, so we took our time to appreciate how our food was being made.
We were very impressed with the takoyaki. It was very crispy on the outside, but creamy and moist on the inside. The crab flesh was very tender and tasty as well. I really enjoyed it.
Unfortunately though, not much else captivated us after the takoyaki. We ended up foraging for the rest of our dinner elsewhere. Luckily for us, we found it quite quickly at Taiwan Soul Food on George Street.
Taiwan Soul Food sells Lo Mei, which is a method of cooking, whereby a large variety of ingredients are cooked by simmering them in a very strong stock.
We ordered by picking what we wanted to order on a tick sheet.
Then we were given a buzzer to await our food.
After a short while, our food arrived. As you can see in the photo, I ordered tofu, fried tofu, seafood sticks, beef, and other assorted meats and veges. I loved how strong the stock was, and it seeped well into the tofu and seafood stick. It was very warming and a delightful way to end the night.
Taiwan Soul Food
Price Range: $10 - $20 per person
Taste: 8/10
Value: 8/10
Service: 7/10
Environment: 7/10
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