Paper Plane Cafe: Taking Parramattas Cafe Scene Sky High

Finally! Another great cafe has opened up in Parramatta giving brunch lovers another place to huddle to, if ever disgruntled by the long lines of Circa Cafe.

Peach Melba Iced Tea $4.50

Cappuccino $3.50

This cafe is situated a little out of the way, just off George St, close to the Roxy. My best friend took me here for brunch and I was glad she did otherwise I don't know how long it would take me to find it. 

Peach Melba, the classic Australian raspberry coulis and peach dessert was in the form of the Peach Melba Iced Tea. It was refreshing and had a strong peach flavour but it reminded me of a bottle of Nestea. I would have loved if it had a stronger raspberry flavour so it could really honour the dessert it is named after.
I also enjoyed the Cappuccino and it came promptly and was perfect for the cold morning.

Eggs Benedict with Salmon $15.50

I ordered the Salmon Eggs Benedict and was delighted to see the generous serving of crusty bread, warm spinach, salmon and perfectly poached eggs. The hollandaise sauce was creamy and the slight tang it had really complemented the salmon. The wilted spinach was also seasoned enough to provide a saltiness that worked with the sauce to cut through the creamy yolk and rich salmon. 8/10

Eggs Benedict with Mushroom $14.50

My best friend ordered the Eggs Benedict with Mushrooms and like my order it was mouth-wateringly generous with its serving of the crusty bread, rocket, well poached eggs and an interesting mushroom covered in pesto and some cheese (no thats not mould!). I thought her serving of sauce was a little on the small side but the saltiness of the pesto and cheese was tasty with the egg yolk. As you can see in the picture the serving of mushroom could have been bigger so it could be eaten with every biteful of the bread. 7/10

Chorizo Hotpot $14

I came here for lunch a few days later and ordered the Chorizo Hotpot was immediately ordered. Resembling Baked Eggs, the waiter presented it to our table with enthusiastic words of "You'll enjoy it, It's awesome". I loved that. A cafe with that kind of confidence and pride amongst its staff is great to see. The tomato flavour was very strong and quite tangy and the salty and slightly spicy chorizo was a good addition that made each bite texturally interesting and tasty. 7.5/10

The highlight of lunch had to be the Midnight Cuban. It was a grilled club sandwich (which verged on being a burger) filled with loads of pulled pork, bacon, melted cheese, oozing BBQ sauce and dijon mustard. This was probably the most delicious thing I've had between two pieces of bread. It also came with the Bad Boys which were superbly crunchy wedges - the perfect accompaniment with the burger. 9/10

 

Midnight Cuban & Bad Boys $15 - That ooze..

Paper Plane Cafe is a promising cafe with great food and service but to hold up to the likes of Circa Cafe I would love to see a unique spin on some of their menu items. In saying that, I am definitely returning here to try their other delicious sounding dishes. Don't be surprised if I do another post with an accumulation of the food I eat there over the next few months. 

Parking: You'll have to pay for street parking (Weekdays ~ $3.50/hr) or park at the Westfield ( 3 hours free)
Location: Convenient - 10 min walk from Parramatta Station and Westfield
Atmosphere: 9/10
Service: The waiters were great and attentive
Food: 8.5/10

Mizuya: Friends, Food and Weak Drinks

When Mizuya is on the tables as the place to dine, you should be expecting loud conversations, a good atmosphere, a unique table service and freshly prepared dishes. However, on this one occasion, it was a night out with my university friends and many cocktails were ordered. So there were louder conversations, a greater atmosphere and a cascade of dishes being ordered. The cosy albeit small booths are separated by tall walls which allow a great feel of privacy and the ordering system allows for more conversation flow.

But first, here is my apology. As the night passed, faces became redder, my photo taking skills depleted and my aim to take photos of the food before we dug in became a battle that I was slowly losing. Sorry I could not document all the dishes we had but these are the ones I managed to take photos of.

I ordered the Mojito while my friends ordered the Strawberry Daquiri and Sakura (homemade strawberry jam and liqeur mixed with gin, shochu and lemon juice). The drinks were quite weak and there was a clear jam taste in both strawberry cocktails. There seemed like a lot of lemons were used across all the drinks which made them untastefully sour. 

Sakura $11, Strawberry Daquiri $13 and Mojito $15.30: Everyone loves a girly drink

The Toblerone was also ordered but wasn't finished. It was quite rich and was not as chocolately as the the name made us hope for.

Toblerone $12.50: Chocolate fixes everything, don't the bar tenders know that?

The Mizuya Test tubes are a little of a fun novelty drink. You will definitely not be making the scrunched up 'this-is-a-strong-drink' face after downing one of these. Each one was probably not even a shot but still they seemed to be a popular order. I would recommend you to try them once with friends but unless you're willing to fork out a disappointing $3 for each of these, it's something you only need to try once.

Mizuya Test Tubes $18: Oh if our high school Chemistry teachers saw us now

 We had the Takoyaki ie Octopus Balls which were nothing special but a popular dish to order when eating Japanese. There were chunks of octopus within the hot smooth centre which were enjoyable.The mayonnaise gets a little lost when you eat these because the inside is already such a soft texture.

Takoyaki $5.80: Soft octopus balls that melt in your mouth

 The Seared Salmon Sushi was one of the dishes I enjoyed the most. The smoky flavour was strong and the salmon was well cooked and clearly fresh. The fish eggs, which I suspect to be salty pearls, happily popped in your mouth and it was also good to see fresh wasabi come out with every sushi dish.

Seared Salmon Belly Roll $14.80: Just one example of their delicious sushi

 The Soft Shell Crab Salad was one of the last dishes we ordered and I really enjoyed this. The soft shell crab wasn't too crispy but it still tasted good with the sauce that was drizzled over it. The lotus root chips were also a great component of the dish that provided a needed crunch.The sauce was a sweet, salty and sour mayonnaise that one of my friends positively alluded to be "scraped off a Hungry Jacks burger" which I agree with. 

Soft Shell Crab Salad $9.80: What a dish! You'll love to sink your teeth into this one... oh and the salad too

The last dish we ordered was the Wagyu Beef Steak. We wanted to finish our dinner with a bang and the photo on the menu made it look like huge succulent pieces of Wagyu beef. When it came to the table we stared at it and just laughed. The photo with the phone shows how small the pieces were. Although we were very disappointed the overall taste of it almost made up for the size. It had perfect seasoning and was tender and soft so in this case quality is better than quantity.

Wagyu Beef Steak $14.80: Sometimes size does matter

Overall, I feel like Mizuya is a great place for friends to have a relaxed dinner. The money you pay is less about the food but more about the atmosphere. It's a unique restaurant and I would return here once in a while with good friends or family. The best of good company is brought out in here and that's why it is a little hard to rate Mizuya based purely on just the food.

Rating: 7/10

Masterchef Food Truck: Meals and Deals on Wheels

The Masterchef Food Eat Art Truck was paying a visit to my university, much to everyone's delight. On the menu were Maple Syrup Glazed Hot Dog, Pulled Pork Bun, Vern's Challenge burger, Fries and the dessert option was Chocolate Mousse. Luckily for us, we received a 50% off student discount, so all the prices I've listed has this discount applied.

Food sent from the heavens to save us from boring uni food

 There was a mad rush to the lines with the queue stretching back quite a distance. We waited patiently for over an hour to move 20m. The smoke and smells of the food just made us want more and we were hoping the wait was worth the taste.

Good things come to those who wait

There were only three people serving and cooking which proved to be quite slow as they prepared each dish fresh. However, it was great to see the great care and detail they put into each order which comes with the Masterchef name.

No sign of Masterchef contestants but these guys were just as good.

So first up, the Pulled Pork Bun. I watched the episode that featured this bun and I won't lie, even seeing it on screen it made me salivate, so when I saw it as a menu item I knew I had to have it.

The bun was soft and the saucy pulled pork was full of flavour and melt-in-your-mouth. The cabbage coleslaw it sat on was also very delicious and added some much needed texture and tartness. The overall dish was one of the best on the menu however the abundance of the pork sauce and cabbage sauce made the bun soggy. 7/10

Pulled Pork Bun $6: Rare moment for me to find that a dish had  too much sauce

The next thing I was keen to try was the Maple Syrup Glazed Bacon Hot Dog. This was definitely not your average hot dog, I mean, there were two sausages! Besides that, the cucumber was a little strange but provided some 'cool' familiarity within the more adventurous sweet and salty flavours of the combination. The sauce was probably the highlight of the whole thing. 6/10

Maple Syrup Glazed Hot Dog $5: No doubt, this indulgent hotdog was inspired by Americans

Lastly, I had the Challenge Burger, which had a soft bun, thick Wagyu patty, lettuce, tomato and onion. Unfortunately, after comparing with my friend's burger, they were a little stingy with my sauce so it had absorbed into the bun. This proved to detract from the taste of the burger as the patty was quite dry also. It seemed a waste to mince up Wagyu and turn it into a patty but the sheer thickness of it made up for that. The chips that they served were good but nothing that you couldn't find at any fast food outlet. 6/10

Vern's Challenge Burger $6 and Fries $2.50: WHERE'S THE SAUCE?

There was no more chocolate mousse by the time we had reached the counter to my dismay. I was really looking forward to trying it.

Overall, I enjoyed my experience at the Eat Art Truck. The chefs were working very well under the pressures of a long queue of hungry students and the prices offered for the quality of food were out of this world. If only they had put on more of that delicious sauce onto my burger I would've been a happy chappy.

Rating: 6.5/10

Chi Chi: Thai with a Modern Twist

Chi Chi caught my eye last year when I noticed their contemporary decor hidden in the corner of the busy streets of Canley Heights. I'll admit that Thai was the last cuisine that I had in mind when I encountered the restaurant but after this visit I thought Chi Chi was a great name for this new, modern Thai restaurant. 

For entree, we shared the Son-In-Law Eggs with Homemade XO sauce. The menu didn't offer a description of what these were and I couldn't figure how these eggs could be a filling entree, let alone how they got their name, so we placed trust in my best friend who said these were good. Well thank goodness we did, because these eggs were delicious. The eggs had a light orange crisp outer shell and I think they mixed the yolk with tamarind which gave it a great sweet flavour with the XO sauce. I loved these so much I bought some more take-away to give to my boyfriend. 

Son in Law Eggs $6.90: Our YOLO entree paid off

For our mains we had the Steamed wild Barramundi fillet with chilli, soy bean, ginger, mushrooms and lily buds. This dish was delicious because the fish was cooked perfectly and the flavours were similar to the whole Barramundi dishes you can get at other Asian restaurants. However because it was served as a fillet we didn't need to pick the bones out and it was an easy dish to share.

Steamed Barramundi Fillet $23.90:Traditional and classic flavours reinterpreted

How could you go to a Thai restaurant without trying one of their fresh and textural salads? Chi Chi definitely does not disappoint with their offering of yummy salads like Crispy Skin Salmon and Green Papaya Salad and Fried Wild Barramundi Fillets with Green apple salad. In the end we chose the Braised Pork Belly salad with green papaya salad and fried shallots. This salad was deliciously fresh and had an amazing textural balance with the papaya, fried shallots and  the crispy pork. This would have even made my Anti-"Rabbit Food" friends digging in for more. 

Braised Pork Belly Salad $16.80: Definitely get some of this pork on your fork

 One of the stand out dishes of the night had to be this Crispy Skin Braised Duck with orange & tamarind sauce. Besides the fantastic country style presentation, the mix of the citrus with the sweet and salty sticky tamarind sauce was a perfect complement with the crispy and aromatic duck. There are almost no words to describe how nice this duck was which was obvious because everyone was chowing this down in satisfied silence at our table. There were hints of cinnamon and star anise which grounded this otherwise retro French dish to the Asian cuisine.

Crispy Skin Duck $23.90: Amazing. 

Overall, Chi Chi has a certain quirkiness that I loved with the menu items and decor. The Dessert section in the menu was named "Happy Ending" after all. I would definitely return here to enjoy the great atmosphere, food and service.

Rating: 9/10