We had planned to see the exhibition early evening in an attempt to avoid the crowds, but I’d forgotten that the Mardi Gras was on (unbelievable I know) so our plans changed. We headed into the city mid afternoon hoping to find parking amongst the chaos of this big party weekend and also avoid the road closures that come with Mardi Gras.
The parking gods were smiling on us as we found a parking spot nearly straight away. The museum gods however were not feeling the love so much. We’d bought our tix online (smart move Miss Piggy) so avoided the queues there, but the exhibition was PACKED beyond belief. It was nearly impossible to get a good look at anything, so we squizzed at the Entombed Warriors along with 1000 other people and then headed out to the big wide world.
It was 5pm and we still had two hours on our parking meter – too early to head back home. Seeing as we were in the area I twisted The Boy’s rubber arm and suggested we go to Misschu’s and see how busy they were. Perhaps we could grab an early dinner if they weren’t too busy with Mardi Grasters.
Misschu’s is a hawker style tuckshop perked on Bourke Street in Darlinghurst. As far as I know it’s the only place of its kind in Sydney and I loved the unique style of dining. Order through the bamboo awning “tuckshop” window, pull up a seat at any one of the makeshift tables and dig in to your meal. This place is fun and quirky and I love it! LOVE IT!
I’ve eaten at Misschu’s at The Opera Kitchen which was great – lovely views and great food, but this is a totally different experience. It’s street food, cooked to order, and eaten on street outside the tuckshop. It’s a slice of Asia in Darlinghurst. LOVE IT!
Misschu’s is the self pro-claimed Queen of Rice Paper Rolls which is pretty handy really, considering I am the Queen of eating Rice Paper Rolls. I am also the Queen of eating Dumplings, and it is lucky for me then that Misschu also churns out some pretty tasty dumplings.
Misschu + Miss Piggy = Match Made in Dumpling Heaven.
The Boy hands the ordering over to me as I’ve been studying and drooling over the menu for months now. I know exactly what we'll be having.
We start with drinks, Asahi Beer for The Boy and I order a Young Coconut Slushee with Pineapple and Mint ($5.00). I'd come back to Misschu's just to indulge in the slushee's - icy, sweet and amazingly refreshing. YUM.
There's quite a selection of Fresh Vietnamese Rice Paper Rolls on offer, but I cannot go past the Roast Duck and Banana Flower ($8.00 for 2). This is the first time I've had banana flower and it's lovely - and not surprisingly gives the roll a sweet taste of banana.
Traditional Peking Duck Pancake ($2.30 each) are petite and snugly wrapped. The pancakes are super fresh and delicious with plump, meaty duck pieces. We order two each, and when I finished my two I go back and order another one! That's the good thing about Misschu's. Order a few things and if you're still hungry just pop back up to to the tuckshop window and order a few more tasty morsels.
The Boy decides to try a BBQ Pork char sui bun ($2.00 each). I had one of these on my visit to Opera Kitchen so decide to save my stomach room. The boy waxes lyrical about the dumpling and the fact that is generously filled with sweet char sui pork. He says that there is an excellent dough to meaty innards ratio as is as happy as a pig...in a char sui bun!
Steamed Dumplings are next out of the bag ($5.00 for 3). To start with we choose a serve of Shanghai Pork Dumplings and and a serve of Prawn Dumplings. The dumplings are just so moreish that we go back and order another serve of Shanghai Pork and a serve of Scallop and Prawn Dumplings.
The dumplings are plump and pipping hot, and come sitting in a bath of vinegar dumpling sauce. The prawn ones are my favourite, with the prawns big, plump and meaty. The boy loves the Shanghai Pork Dumplings the best. Lucky for me he doesn't really notice the dumpling skin has burst open as I took so long ooo'ing and ahh'ing and taking 100 photos per dumpling.
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| Shanghai Pork Dumpling, and Prawn Dumpling |
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| Second serve of Shanghai Pork Dumpling, and Prawn and Scallop Dumpling |
The Deep Fried Net Spring Rolls ($5.00 for four) are not your normal spring rolls. Instead of the usual spring roll wrapper, Misschu's wrapper are a fine "net" like pastry which gives the spring roll a really crispy crunch when you bite into it. We order our Net Spring Rolls with a Prawn and Crab filling.
Misschu is working at the Darlinghust tuckshop on the night The Boy and I visited and it’s obvious she’s become part of the local scenery. She chats and says hello to any regular customers that stop by, and even offers one local lass the loan of an umbrella so she can make it home without getting soaked in the rain. A far cry from the "Spring Roll Nazi" stories I'd heard about.
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| Misschu and "The Panda" working the window |
She sees me taking photos of the food and asks if I am a food blogger. I hesitantly confirm that yes, I am and think to myself “oh no she’s going to ask me to stop taking photos and I'm going to get in trouble". But she asks me the name of my blog and says she read my post about my visit to her Opera Kitchen set-up. Squee!
The Boy then bravely suggests that Misschu should set up shop in Parramatta, promising that the two of us alone would keep her in business. And we would, this is food I would happily eat just about every day. It is quick, fresh and tasty and I LOVE the quirky vibe of the place.
Sadly, I don't think there are any plans for a Parramatta store so we'll just have to add Misschu's as a stop over on one of our regular visits to Darlinghurst.
If you live close by Misschu do home delivery on one of their super fast G-force electric bikes. You ring, they bling. Wonder if they'd consider riding out to Parramatta?
Misschu’s is at 150 Bourke St, Darlinghurst, right near the corner of William Street. Just look for the bamboo awning and you’ll know you’re in the right spot. They’re open 11am- 9pm seven days per week.
