Here's another one for the South Westies! XS Expresso is a cool new chill café located in Wetherill Park (located quite close to Grano) and even better they offer all day breakfast menu AND they have a Belgium dessert bar that is open till 10pm everyday!


They are located at Greenway Plaza, a small outdoor shopping district, next to Anytime Fitness (perfect for that post work out meal =P). The small café is nicely decorated and somewhat stands out compared to its surrounds. Plants line the back brick wall and the roof giving off that hipster vibe. The establishment offers both indoor and outdoor seating as well as takeaway coffee window.


We only stopped by to try the scrumptious scrolls (by Oregano Bakery) they had on display. We had the Nutella Scroll and Vanilla Scroll but they also offered cinnamon and cookies 'n' cream. The scrolls were served on a wooden board, topped with icing sugar and drizzled with chocolate.




Address:  9a /1183-1187 The Horsley Dr, Wetherill park
Opening times: Mon-Fri: 6am-10pm Sat & Sun: 7am-10pm !
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/XS.Espresso
Instagram: https://instagram.com/xsespresso/

Sorry about the lack of posts.. it's been quite a while.

But I have actually been working on Japan blogs and vlogs! I visited Japan during April and May and it is definitely Food Lover's Paradise. There is delicious food everywhere you turn.


Blog link: http://phatsthetics.blogspot.com.au/
Youtube vlogs: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcE4_NptsC-I4LMFPnHzCug

Just a quickie about Neil Perry's new burger joint which has been all the hype last month. The Burger Project is located next to Din Tai Fung upstairs from World Square's main eateries. It was quite busy during the lunch time rush but the food came out pretty fast.

We ordered the American Cheeseburger ($8.90) and the Spicy Chicken Burger ($8.90).  The differentiating aspect of his burgers are the extremely (and oily) soft burger bun.




I admire the concept of Neil Perry's Burger Project but from my little taste of it, I am undecided about how it has been executed. The other items on their extensive menu do sound mouthwatering and would be willing to return to give it another chance but let's just say I have had better burgers...

 

The Burger Project
Address: World Square Shopping Centre, Shop 1106 644 George St Sydney, NSW 2000
Opening times: 11:00am-9pm
Website: http://burgerproject.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Burger-Project/1458996641022653

Attention ramen lovers: Ippudo in Central Park Sydney is officially opening this week on Thursday October 2nd! I was lucky enough to be invited to dine there last week before their Grand Opening to taste what they had to offer. I was told that the menu at Central Park would include both their famous signature dishes as well as some new specials.

For entrees,  we shared both the "Ippudo Gyozas w/ chilli oil" and the "Japanese style Fish and Chips ($14)".The battered salmon fillet was cooked perfectly and had a nice pink tinge. The dish was also served with two signature sauces. I found the spicy chilli sauce was best with the deep fried salmon whereas we mopped up the Japanese Mayo with the crispy seasoned chips. The dish was also served with a deep fried battered flavoured egg to add to the Japanese influence of the dish. Mhmm yolk porn...


We delightfully devoured the lightly pan-fried "Ippudo Gyozas" dipping them in the accompanying fragrant chilli sauce.


Although we are big fans of their signature Akamaru ramen dish we both decided to  try other ramen dishes on offer. I opted with the "Tori Shoyu Special ($23)" which is their original chicken broth ramen topped with chashu chicken,  menma, leeks, naruto and nori and with the "special" it is served with a side plate of flavoured egg, simmered pork belly, roasted seaweed, flavoured black mushrooms, flavoured bamboo shoots and spring onions. I felt like this dish had it all; I had the best of both worlds with the chashu chicken and the melt-in-your mouth pork belly and the chicken broth (blended with special bonito extract) was a lot lighter which allowed me to down the entire dish with no problem (that and because I am a fatty).

Left: Tori Shoyu Special Ramen with all the toppings 
Right: Side plate of flavoured egg, simmered pork belly, roasted seaweed, flavoured black mushrooms, flavoured bamboo shoots and spring onions

J ordered the Ippudo Miso Tonkotsu Special ($25) which is a pork broth ramen flavoured with miso and topped with pork belly chashu, menma, shallots, corn kernels, bean sprouts, and also served with the extra plate of toppings. The miso blended well with their flavoursome signature pork broth and their noodles were on point (we always choose the option of hard noodles whenever we dine at Ippudo; so much better!)


Special thanks to Sana Motoyama and the team at SD marketing for the opportunity to dine at Ippudo Central Park. Ippudo is an excellent addition to other well known eating establishments at the very new Central Park district and the location is perfect for students attending the surrounding universities and colleges near by. The restaurant was very spacious in comparison to the Westfield Sydney branch and the staff were extremely friendly and helpful. I would definitely recommend dropping by after October 2nd to try both their old and new dishes they have to offer.





Ippudo Sydney  Central Park
Address: Level 1 RB07 (lower ground), 28 Broadway, Chippendale
Opening times: Mon - Wed: 11:00am-10:00pm,  Thurs - Sat:11:00am-11:00pm,   Sun: 11:00am-9:00pm
Website: http://www.ippudo.com.au/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ippudo.syd


Disclaimer: I was invited to dine at Ippudo Sydney courtesy of Ippudo Sydney and SD Marketing. This in no way affected my option, all opinions are my own. Please read my disclosure policy for further information.

Ever since we had our first dose of cronuts, we have been eager for another hit. Rather than heading up to Newtown, I've heard that there is a fairly new cafe in Parramatta  dishing out Brewtown Newtown's famous Brewnuts. (say that phrase fast 5 times =P)

The small cafe is located on the same road as Paper Planes Cafe and some seating inside and outside. I approached their mouthwatering pastry and sweets cabinet and saw that they were offering Brewtown's original cinnamon, chocolate and jam brewnuts. We couldn't resist the chocolate Brewnut with biscuit crumble on top.

The Brewnut was a bit of a let down in comparison to first cronut  we tried from The Grumpy Barista. It was a tad unappealing when see the a decent amount of oil seeping from the pastry as we cut into it however the pastry was still quite fluffy and moist.



We noticed some other unique eats on their menu such as The Bulgogi . Unfortunately, the waitress informed us that were sold out of their rolls and alternatively substituted the roll for a Turkish Bread. The sandiwch tasted fresh but we couldn't help wondering if it would've tasted better in the roll.




Badmanner Thymes Espresso
Address:1 Horwood Place  Parramatta, NSW 2150
Phone: 0406 860 288
Opening times: Mon - Fri: 6:30am-4:00pm, Sat:9:00am-4:00pm, Sun: CLOSED
Website: https://www.facebook.com/BadmannerParramatta