El-Phoenician Restaurant, Parramatta

Whilst we’re still drooling over the delicious food from my last post let’s continue with the Lebanese theme. Back to Parramatta where we hit up El-Phoenician for a family birthday. El-Phoenician is one of the many restaurants located on the "Eat Street" part of Church Street. This area has changed a lot since we moved in but El-Phoenician is holding steady.

I wish my photos were better but when you're dining in a BIG group it's the quick or the hungry I'm afraid. So you'll have to trust me when I say the food was really great.

I’ve been wanting to go here since we first moved to the ‘hood over four years ago now. Not sure why it took this long to make it, but it was always the baskets of crisp, fried Lebanese bread set alluringly on each table that had me wanting to come here. Fried bread = winning.

Because we dining in quite a big group we decide to go for one of the group menus – always the best way to go when there are so many people eating together. We choose the “Roche” banquet for meat lovers for $50 per person. Massively good value. I have have to give the staff two thumbs up for happily accommodating all of our varying dietary requests with hardly the blink of an eye.

The banquet kicks off with a trio of dips that are all very lovely. The Homous is a smooth, creamy blend of chick peas blended with tahina and lemon juice. The Baba Ganouje is a heady mix of smoky char-grilled eggplant blended with tahina and lemon juice. Yum. And last but not less a beautiful Labne made from fresh home-made yoghurt. I really love the tanginess of labne. Needless to say that all the dips go really well with that crispy bread I’ve been drooling over since 2010.

We also enjoy some fresh salads. I loved the tangy Tabouli (not pictured as we ate it too fast) – a mix of finely chopped parsley, tomato, shallot with crushed wheat and mint mixed with lemon juice and extra virgin olive oil.  We also get the chef's salad as part of our banquet. Bad photo but a good salad.

Possibly one of my favourite elements of the banquet is the feta cheese that comes on a plate with one of my all-time favourite foods, PICKLES!!! A plate of kalamata olives, pickled cucumber, turnip, radish and whole chilli (hot, but not deadly so) is nestled alongside fat slabs of creamy, tangy feta cheese.

And lastly we come to the “meat lovers” section of the banquet. This platter is piled high with a medley of mouth watering meats. All of them are deliciously charred and smokey after their treatment over the hot grill. So what do we have? Let’s have a look:

• Jawaheh (chicken wings) which are marinated in lemon, garlic and extra virgin olive oil
• Kafta (skewered minced lamb), one of my favourite Lebanese meat dishes that consists of premium lamb mixed with parsley, herbs and onions
• Shish tawouk (skewered chicken) which his Marinated with traditional Middle Eastern spices and a hint of garlic
• Shish kebab (skewered lamb) which is marinated in vinegar and traditional Middle Eastern spices
• Batata b-kizibra (potato coriander) a bowl of yummy diced potato fried and tossed in a fresh coriander dressing.  Dip it into the garlic sauce provided to take it up a notch.

Because my sister doesn't eat lamb (long story) we also receive a plate of fluffy on the inside, crunchy on the outside falafel with tahina sauce for no extra charge. It's little touches like this that make me want to return to certain restaurants. Everyone at El-Phoenician was very accommodating, which is no easy feat given there must have been about 200 people there on the night we visited. Oh, and the falafel is served with mixed pickles so double win.

In keeping with the El-Phoenician motto that “food isn’t simply about eating, it’s an experience” as the night carries on out come the belly dancers. Lots of fun (though the music was deafeningly loud and quashed any conversation that people were having). I'm not sure what the deal is with balancing the walking stick on people's heads but it is worth nothing that Dave's brother (not the dude in the picture below) can balance a walking stick on his head for a VERY VERY long time. I'd totally be putting THAT skill on my resume for sure.

All in all I had a great night at El-Phoenician. It's popular for big groups, but it is definitely somewhere I'd go with just Dave and myself as it has a intimate vibe due to its nice, warm decor.

The only thing that would make it better is if they served homous with lamb mince (hint hint if you're reading this  El-Phoenician).

El-Phoenician is at Church Street, Parramatta. Phone them on 9633 1611. 

PappaRich, Parramatta

I have been to PappaRich in Parramatta about 10 times now. All but our last meal with PappaRich ambassador Poh Ling Yeow has been paid for by ourselves...just FYI.

PappaRich has been open in Parramatta for a few months now and I have slowly been making my way through the menu. It's slow going as every few weeks I find a new favourite and have to have that dish multiple times before moving onto the next thing!

I like PappaRich as it's the kind of place you can go to on your own for a quick meal (which I often do if Dave is not around) or with a group of friends for a big rowdy lunch - the table piled high with delicious Malaysian food.  I know the basics of Malaysian food, but I think the big picture menu really makes the food accessible for everybody...a picture paints a thousand (yummy) words as they say. That might go someway to explaining why PappaRich has been so successful in Sydney.

And just as an aside, PappaRich is a series of independently owned franchises operating under the PappaRich banner. Each restaurant has an owner who's invested his (or her) hard earned bucks into their business hoping like heck it works. It's good to know this as I had actually thought it was a big evil "chain". At a recent blogger gig at PappaRich here in Parramatta I met the owner who was very nice and he was so keen to know if we all thought their outlet was doing a good job. Two thumbs up from me mate! I've always had great service and nice food.

The menu options and ordering style are the same at all PappaRich outlets so if you've been to one before you'll know the drill. Peruse the menu, mark out the items you'd like on the chit provided and then ring the buzzer. Within moments the waitstaff will appear to rush your order off to the kitchen. It doesn't take long for the food to arrive...always a good thing I'd say. As your items get put through the ordering system the staff bring back the bill to your table which happens before your food arrives - it's not an invitation to get up and leave already, it's just the way it works. I remember the same system from the diners I've eaten at in America.

Whilst the menu has A LOT on offer there is A LOT I'm yet to try. With that all said and done here's what's floating my boat at the moment...

Chicken skin (of course) though I only order this if I am with other people. Whilst I'd love a WHOLE plate to myself my dream in life isn't to become the fattest woman on earth! You don't get a figure like this eating plates of chicken skin all to yourself people! Anyway...back to the skin! I notice that the flavour here is a bit different to the skin I tried at Chatswood -- a bit more "five spicy" perhaps? The last few times we've also noticed that there have been some chewy pieces on the plate too...not sure what that's about, but Dave eats the chewy and I eat the crunchy (see you HAVE to share...it works out better).

Nasi Lemak with Beef Rendang because IT'S FREAKING AWESOME and it comes with Ikan Bilis + peanuts which together form one of the best things on the planet (not including Messina and Mappen that is)! Mostly the beef is fall apart tender and I just love mixing everything together for a spicy, meaty, crunchy plate of deliciousness. I save the cucumber 'til last as it helps to offset the burning that the sambal causes to my poor delicate mouth. The egg is kinda random but I save that til the end too...dipped into a dash of sambal.

The Char Kway Teow here is pretty good. It has a nice, delicate smokey flavour and is the most beautiful colour. The CKT is studded with fat prawns, bean sprouts and other bits and bobs. I've only had this here once but I'll be back for more!

I had NO interest in the Chilli Pan Mee until a guy next to me was eating it and I thought "hey, that looks pretty good". And you know what, it IS pretty good (though a friend of mine tells me she's never had a Chilli Pan Mee that doesn't have some sort of broth in the bottom - I've never had it before so I'm not sure what is legit).

The idea is to mix everything together so that the whole lot is coated by the soft egg that's hiding under all that sambal.  The "mixed" product looks pretty gross - but in the interest of blogging transparency that's it below. I really like the mixture of textures in this dish: soft noodles, fatty mince, gooey egg, crunchy Ikan Bilis and fresh crunchy greens. A word of warning though, the sambal IS HOT! I once ate this when I had a sinus/throat infection and I thought I'd set my nose on fire!!!

I've had the Roti Canai a few times, again because it's awesome, though I think the roti here is a little sweeter than I've had at other Malaysian places. It's not so noticeable when you dunk it in the curry sauces and I actually didn't really notice this until someone pointed it out (my tastebuds are obviously highly susceptible to suggestion and are totally ignorant at all other times).

The chicken skin because it is DELICIOUS! Oh wait...I've said that already. Whoops!

Each time I come to PappaRich I order the Lychee Soda. It's quite sweet so after I've had a few sips I top it up with water and keep doing so right until I cannot drink anymore. It's the never ending drink!

Dave always orders the Milo Dinosaur because he is a man child I'm sure. Does anyone know why this is called a Milo Dinosaur? Anybody?

Oh look, here's PappaRich ambassador Poh having lunch at PappaRich in Parramatta. Dave and I were lucky enough to be invited along to have lunch with Poh and a bunch of other Sydney bloggers in Parramatta last weekend. And...we got to sit right at her table which at first freaked me out as you know...she has her own TV show and all that jazz BUT she was very easy talk to, a really engaging, honest and intelligent woman. Go Poh!

Have you been to a PappaRich restaurant yet? If so what do you think? What's your favourite dish?

PappaRich is at Store 2185A, Level 2 (which is street level), Westfield Parramatta. It's right where all the buses pull up at the interchange.

Badmanner Thymes Cafe, Parramatta

I'm thrilled that another Parramatta cafe has decided to open up its doors on weekends for the locals to enjoy. It seems a lot of new cafes initially open Monday to Friday (which is great if you work in the 'hood {which I don't so it's bad for me}).  Once these weekyday cafes find their feet the locals are set to benefit with weekend opening times. Yay!

Badmanner Thymes Cafe is...compact with a lovely, cozy fit out. I love the old leather Chesterfield that sits against the back wall (channeling "Central Perk" from Friends perhaps)...and there are interesting little bits and pieces to feast your eyes upon whilst you wait for your food. It's a great space that feels really warm and welcoming.

We kick things off with coffees - a piccolo latte for me and a cappuccino for Dave. Both of our coffees are great, very smooth and easy to drink.

One of the specials of the day is a Big Breakfast which Dave immediately orders...he doesn't even need to look at the menu. He's VERY happy with his breakfast...the scrambled eggs are nice and fluffy and the plate is crammed with baby spinach, grilled tomatoes, mushrooms, bacon and a smokey, delicious chorizo.

There are two Korean inspired rolls on the menu (though the chef isn't Korean...he just has a thing for experimenting with Korean food). On this visit I go for the Bulgogi Roll (and next time I'll hit up the Kimchi Roll). This roll is REALLY delicious! The toasted wholemeal roll and is filled with thin slices of marinated beef, pickled white radish, Spanish onion, band topped with a generous serving of sweet potato crisps. There's a little chilli hiding in amongst this medley of ingredients...so chilli whimps beware! I loved how the crisp sweet potato crisps offset the soft roll and tender beef. The aoli is really lovely, with just a little bit of "zing" to it.

I'm normally able to avoid the temptation of the sweet offerings at cafe, but the lure of a cabinet filled with Cronuts (aka "Brewnuts) from Brewtown is too much to resist.

We decide on a Cinnamon Cronut and our waitress heats it up for a little. It's not as mind-blowing as the Cronut from Brewtwon which I enjoyed pretty much fresh from the oven, but it's still pretty impressive to have THE LEGENDEY CRONUT IN PARRAMATTA! We've hit the big time now folks.

I'm not in the mood for a second coffee so decide to try one of their fresh juices. I opt for the Ginger Zinga as I love ginger in juices. The drink comes in a (hipster) jam jar glass sans paper straw (thankfully). I think paper straws are cute but it's nice to be able to linger over your drink without your straw disintegrating on you.

Badmanner Thymes is a great new weekend addition to Parramatta's weekend eating options. The cafe is cute, has great coffee, a good menu and some really friendly staff. At the moment they are just opening Saturdays (til about 4pm) but hope to open up on Sundays in October(ish).

Badmanner Thymes Cafe is at 1 Horwood Place, Parramatta.

Gatehouse Tea Rooms, Parramatta Park

A few weeks ago I headed off to the Gatehouse Tea Rooms in Parramatta Park (just off Macquarie Street, near the Rose Garden) for morning tea with a bunch of my new sewing buddies. We were heading up to Old Government House to see a costume exhibition and I thought this would be the perfect place for a little snack beforehand.

I think that the Gatehouse Tea Rooms is one of Parramatta's true gems. Set in a World Heritage listed, 1887 built gatehouse it's the perfect setting for a spot of morning tea, or you can go full hog and order the indulgent looking High Tea. It's a beautiful setting, both inside and out and I'd say it's a perfect place for a casual catch up with friends, or something more fancy like a hen's party.

Sadly on the day we visited I'd been put on a pretty restrictive diet by my specialist to try and work out some tummy issues I've been having.  I think I gave myself cheese poisoning in Paris last year thus leading to Lactose Intolerance but he thinks that's nonsense.

Anyway...long story short, I had to order the gluten free English Tea Sandwiches ($15, or $13 if you can eat normal bread). I opted for a chicken filling and I have to say it was really delicious (though I do wish it was a tag bigger as I was still hungry afterwards). If you order this with "regular" bread it also comes with a little biscuit on the side to have with your tea.

All of the morning and afternoon teas, plus the High Tea's, come with your choice of beverage.  Nearly all of us ordered the lovely, fresh tasting Lime + Ginger Tea.  Tea's are all served in a prettier-than-your-granny's tea cup.

Most of the others ordered the lovely looking Devonshire Tea ($19.00) that comes with two scrumptious scones with served with seasonal jam and cream with your choice of beverage. I'm told the scones were excellent!

Gatehouse Tea Rooms can be found within the Macquarie St Gatehouse in Parramatta Park, Parramatta. Phone them on 9635 1515.

Paper Plane (+ #mushroomMania2014), Parramatta

I don't mean to gush but, OH MY GOD! My discovery of Paper Plane cafe in Parramatta has made me VERY VERY happy!

Paper Plane opened around February of this year, but I actually first became aware of them when I was trying to post an Instagram photo to Paper Planes in Bondi yet this place kept popping up in my geotag. Hmmm? It wasn't until I started seeing a few photos on IG that I realised a) this cafe is open on weekends and b) this is just the sort of cafe that I LOVE. Quirky decor, interesting menu, drinks served in jars, in Parramatta and like I said...open all weekend.

We both decide to detour away from coffee on this visit and Dave orders a Caramel Milkshake ($6.00) that comes in a cute little milk bottle with a paper straw (squee factor = about 100). I have a little sip and it's a great milkshake - very traditional tasting. Milk is no longer my friend so I choose the Peach Melba Iced Tea ($5.00) that come with fresh lemon and mint floating about in my jam jar glass. The paper straw sort of give up half way through the drinks though and become a tad...soggy...so drink fast.

We visit the cafe just before lunch so it's a struggle to decide if we should order breakfast, brunch or lunch. They had some VERY impressive breakfast boards coming out of the kitchen that looked very hearty.

In the end we both go for lunch. The general vibe of the menu is trendy-style sandwiches (I don't want to say "dude food" but you know what I mean), big burgers, little sliders and salads. All good stuff.

The lunch menu quite large and everything is tempting.  After dillydallying for AGES I finally order the Midnight Cuban Sandwich ($15.00) that comes with a side of big, fluffy Bad Boy Fries that are dusted with a salty, spicy seasoning. This is one tasty, and very filling sandwich! Crammed between generous slices of sourdough bread is triple smoked ham, pulled pork, Swiss cheese, dill pickles and  white BBQ sauce (not sure what that is). Yep, it's as good as it sounds!

I was stunned when Dave by-passed the Big Breakfast and ordered the Beef Burger with the Lot ($14.50). A soft, brioche bun is topped with a perfectly-cooked and very tasty beef patty, bacon, oozy fried egg, carmalised onions, beetroot, Swiss cheese, tomato and lettuce! Just in case you're still hungry after all of that the burger also comes with a side of Bad Boy Fries.

It's not long before we are back to spend the gift card I received from Australian Mushroom Growers Association to help them promote and celebrate #mushroomMania2014 which runs through all of July. 

And FYI to all you 'shroom lovers out there...if you share a photo of your own mushroom meal during July 2014 you could win a $100 voucher from Australian Mushroom Growers Association to spend on your own delicious meal out. If you're keen to enter check out the details here.

For my mushroom extravaganza it's hard to go past the Portobello Eggs Benedict ($14.00). The Portobello Mushroom is stuffed with feta and pesto (a match made in heaven) accompanied by two pieces by sourdough toast with poached eggs that are smothered in a beautifully smooth Hollandaise Sauce. I was a bit worried about this dish being served on a wooden board, but thankfully the eggs weren't too runny so nothing ended up running off on to my lap.

Oh looky, Dave's ordered the Big Breakfast ($16.00)!  Are you surprised? This is one impressive looking breakfast let me tell you, especially considering that it's only $16.00. Served on a BIG wooden board. Th Big Breakfast is resplendent with button mushrooms, fried eggs, toast, chorizo (which was SO tasty), a hashbrown, tomatoes, bacon...and a token green salad.

We enjoyed great coffee over our breakfast. A large cappuccino for him; and a piccolo latte for her! I really liked my piccolo latte. Often I find these a tad too strong/bitter but this one was very smooth and easy to drink. I can't drink black coffee (other than cold drip 'cos I'm hip like that) and I can't drink anything too milky...so the piccolo is a good option for me when it's made to my taste.

Oh, and we shared an OJ ($5.00)...because it was breakfast time and we're both getting over a cold.

Paper Plane is a GREAT new addition to what I hope is Parramatta's growing (weekend) cafe scene. The menu is large and varied, the staff are very friendly, the decor is comfortable and homely, and the food is delicious and well-priced. Two hoofs up from me - cannot wait to come back!

Paper Plane is at 5/2 Horwood Place, Parramatta. Phone them on 0400 888 772.