Europe Grill is located at 506 King St, Newtown.

Europe Grill is located on the quieter end of King Street heading away from the city at number 506. When I went there for dinner the first time, it was a Monday night and was very quiet. There was only another family in the restaurant and the staff were obviously very attentive! It’s family-run from what I could tell and very traditional.

I can’t really compare the food to any other European cuisine as it is really quite unique! I really enjoyed the food at Europe Grill immensely but I actually preferred the entrees to the mains. I initially had written down all the Macedonian names for the dishes but I have lost the piece of paper so plain English descriptions will have to suffice!

These are the entrees we had:

Entree #1: Deep fried crumbed cheese - Yes, decadence on a plate! I'm not sure what type of cheese this was but it was a cross between cheddar and mozzarella. Absolutely delicious but I could only manage half a piece as it was too rich!

Entree #2: Grilled Macedonian Fetta - This was another winner by me. This type of Fetta cheese is a harder variant and doesn't crumble too easily. It also has a much stronger flavour than most Fetta cheeses. Unlike the previous cheese entree, this one is clearly less decadent!

Entree #3: Grated Fetta cheese on bread pieces - This was a very simple dish, but was still delicious. This is the same Macedonian Fetta used in entree #2. I enjoyed eating this with the salad in the next photo.

Entree #4: Grated Fetta Cheese Salad - We can't seem to get enough of this Fetta cheese! Underneath this bed of grated cheese lies a summer medley of diced tomatoes, olives, spinach, onions, cucumber and capsicum. It's a very simple salad dressed with some oilve oil and lemon juice. Once again, deelish! This salad had very fresh and tangy flavours that contrasted really well with the saltiness of the Fetta cheese.

Entree #5: Grilled Banana Chillies in Garlic Yoghurt sauce - Oh my god this dish is my favourite. This variety of chillies isn't actually too hot and they taste quite sweet and similar to bell peppers. They were grilled to tender perfection, whilst the yoghurt sauce was richly infused with lots of garlic and really hit the spot. This went down a treat with bread! We even saved some sauce for the meat that came later on!

Entree #6: Grilled Banana Chillies in Garlic Oil - A similar concept to the previous chillie dish except this one came in Olive Oil infused in Garlic and fresh herbs. Delicious as well but doesn't beat the garlic yoghurt version!

They also serve Macedonian and Croatian Beers:

Croatian Beer

Macedonian Beer

Now on to the main course!

As Europe Grill specialises mainly in barbeque and grilled food, they have an open grill where you can watch the chefs cook. The mains we had were very straightforward – we basically ordered a whole bunch of different meats from the menu and they brought it all out on one giant platter for everyone to share.

A variety of meats on the grill - Pork chops, patties, stuffed chicken breast and several types of sausages sizzling away!

They also do seafood - but we didn't order any. Still looks good though!

This was one of the sausages we tried - It was a smoked spicy sausage which tasted like salami but much richer and more delicious as it was grilled on top of that!

A closer look at the grilled sausages - There were quite a few types of sausages, these ones were made out of a combination of beef, pork and lamb mince and heavily seasoned with spices.

I had a huge shock when the platter came out – it was HUGE!

Lo and behold! The ultimate meat platter - Everything you just saw on one big plate! 3 types of sausages, patties, stuffed chicken breast, pork chops, you name it! All the meats were cooked really well and were really juicy and succulent.

Potato and shredded cabbage salad - Each person got a bowl of this as a side dish to be had with the meat. I really liked this - Very simple yet appetizing. Both the potato and cabbage were drizzled in a simple olive oil and lemon dressing.

We were completely and utterly stuffed by the end of the feast, we didn’t even think about having any dessert!

One of our many random dining excursions led us to a really cheap Vietnamese restaurant in Marrickville. Located at 304 Illawara Road, Pho Bac is nestled between a few other Vietnamese restaurants, so make sure you check the signs before entering!

The food was good and great value for money. Mains range from $7.50 – $25 and the portions were just right. I’ve been here for both lunch and dinner and they can get really busy. However, The restaurant is quite small and can get cramped during peak hour.The service isn’t too bad, the ambience at night is quite warm and they don’t have the horrible fluorescent lighting you can expect from many Asian restaurants!

Although I’d go back to Pho Bac, Thanh Binh in Cabramatta is still my favourite Vietnamese restaurant in Sydney! Here’s a little sneak peak of a few dishes we sampled. As usual, I will be adding more photos in future after a few more visits to Pho Bac!

Duck Salad - Served with Prawn crackers, shallots, onion, crushed peanuts, fancy lettuce, carrots and basil leaves. Comes with a side-dish of sweet fish sauce dressing.

Deep Fried Spring Rolls with Sweet and Spicy Fish Sauce.

Stir-fried Lemongrass Beef with Vegetables.

Stir-fried Beef, Tofu and Vegetables in Soy Sauce.

Pho Garnish - The usual suspects: Bean Sprouts, Lemon, Basil, mint and chillies.

Beef Brisket Pho

This is a great place to take friends for a shared meal as the food comes in small plates. It’s almost like yum-cha, just minus the steaming hot trolleys. The dumplings are made fresh on site and on order, and they also have a wide variety of other Chinese dishes on offer. As this is a typical Chinese ‘fast-food’ joint, don’t expect great service or ambience! It’s noisy, busy and expect to share a table with other patrons!

The dumpling chefs hard at work!

My favourite dumplings from here are the dangerously scalding hot Pork Soup Dumplings. Encased in a doughy shell is a mixture of pork mince with chives and hot soup. The trick to eating these dumplings without suffering any third degree burns is to pop the dough with one chopstick first to release the hot steam before putting one in your mouth. One must eat these with caution!

Pork Soup Dumplings - Pork mince with Chives and hot soup inside!

I have learnt the hard way with these. They look rather cute and harmless but looks are deceiving! The dough they use on these dumplings is thicker than the usual rice flour version – it’s actually bread-like and chewy. They are first steamed, then lightly pan-fried to brown the base and make it crispy on the bottom which gives it a slightly toasted flavour.

A closer look at the pork soup dumpling...

They serve many types of dumplings here. Another version we ordered were the steamed crab and pork dumplings. These are very similar to the ones you’d get as part of a typical yum-cha set and has the original rice-flour casing which is softer and lighter than the casing of the pork soup dumplings. The fillings in these were pretty tasty too but had less of a ‘chivey’ taste compared to the previous ones.

Steamed Crab and Pork Dumplings

The following dish was pretty interesting. Deep fried salted and spiced fish – served cold. This tasted like they used the Chinese Five-Spice mix as a marinade. The most distinctive taste I could pull from the flavour was Star-Anise. I quite liked the taste of this dish but would have preferred it if this was served hot rather than cold. Tasted like leftover KFC in a sense, besides we were looking forward to something hot.

Salted and Spiced Crispy Fish entree served cold

One dish that I have ordered more than once from here is the Crispy Egg Noodles with Pork, Shitake Mushrooms and Bamboo Shoot sauce. Probably not the healthiest dish, but on the taste scale this one is probably high up on it. The egg noodles are deep fried to a crispy perfection then the sauce is poured over the top – as you have probably already put two and two together, this is a very oily dish!

Crispy egg noodles with pork, shitake mushrooms and bamboo shoot sauce.

This next dish was nothing like what was described in the menu. It was called satay lamb, but tasted nothing like satay! It was very garlicky, cooked in a rich soy-sauce and was served with semi-raw onions. The meat pieces were too big for chopsticks (one had to tug with their teeth!) and overall the dish was way too oily. However the lamb was tender and I think this would be better served with rice as a main.

'Satay' Lamb with onions.

Watch this space for more dishes to come in the future!

Dining at Albee’s Kitchen has somewhat become a weekly ritual since we discovered this little gem in May this year. Located in Campsie on the southern end of Beamish Street at number 282, Albee’s is definitely the best, and most authentic Malaysian restaurant I have tried in Sydney so far. However, let me clarify that the food at Albee’s leans more towards the Malaysian style of Hakka, Hokkien, Hainanese and slightly Cantonese style of Malaysian cooking – In other words, Nyonya-style Malaysian cooking or Straits-Chinese.

The exterior of Albee's - They have quite an array of photos which definitely helps the decision-making process while waiting for a table!

As Malaysia is a country with a very diverse culture, Malaysian food doesn’t necessarily mean Rendang, Goat Curry and Roti Canai. There are three main types of Malaysian food that I’d like to specify – Malay, Malay-Chinese and Malay-Indian. These three styles of Malaysian food represent the three main cultures in Malaysia. But having said that we cannot forget the various other ethnic foods from other cultures and tribes in Malaysia as well.

Albee’s Kitchen is a small, family run business. The ambience at Albee’s is nothing to write home about – it’s relatively cramped, and expect to share a table with other patrons. They do have a more private dining area out the back – usually reserved for larger groups or really desperate customers! The setting actually reminds me of a typical Malaysian canteen.

The ambience at Albee’s never bothers me – when the food arrives I’m pretty much in heaven! And the food never dissappoints either- Another amazing fact about Albee’s food is the price. Mains range from $7.50 – $28, and the portions are astronomical. We always end up with leftovers and doggy bags without fail! Otto has a collection of Albee’s leftovers in takeaway containers in his freezer. Definitely good value for money!

The customer service at Albee’s is great too. I got a bit friendly with one of the ladies who works there, and we usually have a little banter in Mandarin – she’s got a rather comical sense of humour. During one visit with Otto, as we were paying at the counter she said to me in Mandarin, “I notice you guys always split the bill. Is he not your boyfriend?” – That comment had me in stitches. Enough said.

My three favourite dishes at Albee’s is their Hainanese Chicken Rice and their Fish Head Curry and Asam Pedas Fish Head Curry (Hot and Sour). As I am a regular at Albee’s, you can be sure that this post will become bigger over the months!

Sambal Belacan Eggplant - Eggplant stir-fried in Albee's famous sambal belacan sauce. Belacan is a paste made out of fermented shrimps and has a very strong aroma and flavour. This dish also has a generous helping of chillies giving it that extra kick. A tad oily, but still deelish!

Prawns and Petai (Abacus beans) stir fried in spicy chilli sauce. Abacus beans grow in a very long and narrow pod very similar to sea beans and is quite bitter. You'd like this if you're a fan of bitter gourd. This is a popular Nyonya-style dish or Straits-Chinese, meaning West-Malaysian-Chinese.

The original Fish Head Curry - This version has a thick curry sauce that has a Malay-Indian influence. As you can see this is a pretty hefty dish and can easily feed 4 people! The fish head is cut into smaller portions and is served with okra, eggplant and fried tofu. Strong, rich and spicy just the way a good fish head curry should be. Also served in a claypot which contains alot of the heat. I highly recommend this!

Penang-style deep fried crispy fish with sweet sauce - This is awesome. The fish is very crispy on the outside, yet the flesh is tender. The sauce tastes like it is a combination of XO sauce, plum sauce and dark soy sauce. It's very sweet, and has a generous helping of fresh chopped birds eye chillies and shallots. Very fresh and tangy!

Stir-fried Long Beans with Spicy Belacan sauce - One of my favourites. The beans are firstly deep fried, then re-fried with fermented shrimp paste (Belacan), fresh birds-eye chillies and onions. Not the healthiest, but heh! It's too delicious to consider the health repercussions.

Asam-Pedas Fish Head Curry / Hot and Sour Fish Head Curry - This is the other version of fish head curry available at Albee's. This version is cooked in a spicy tamarind, tomato and chilli-based curry sauce and is also served with okra, eggplant and fried tofu with a dash of raw Spanish onions. This version tastes quite different from the original fish head curry and is slightly sweet from the tomatoes and sour from the tamarind they use in this dish. Hits the spot each time! Highly recommended!

One of the best parts of the fish head - The eyeballs! The eyes have a soft and fishy jelly-like texture and is considered a delicacy. Not for the faint-hearted! But then again, you should give this a go. It's delicious contrary to infamous hear-say.

Another close-up of the fish eye - Check out the gelatinous texture! Just be careful not to bite into the hard bit of eyeball in the centre, you could hurt your teeth.

Otto about to savour that succulent piece of fish eye. That's the first thing he searches for in the curry before he eats anything else.

Malay-style fried glutinous (sticky) rice - Not your typical fried rice dish! This version uses glutinous rice which is sweeter, starchier and has a stickier texture than normal rice. This dish is fried with egg, chicken, prawns, Chinese sweet sausage, shallots, peanuts and dark soy sauce. Definitely a richer version of the regular fried rice!

Nasi Lemak with Chicken Rendang - Albee's have a few versions of Nasi Lemak. They have Nasi Lemak served with either Prawn Sambal, Beef Rendang or Chicken Rendang. Quite authentic but I prefer the coconut rice to be cooked with turmeric as well!

Crispy fish with Asam Sauce - Like the Penang-style fish, this one is also deep fried before the sauce gets poured over the top. The sauce for this dish is a combination of Tamarind paste, tomatoes and chilli. It tastes quite similar to sweet and sour fish but has a stronger Tamarind flavour. The way this dish is prepared at Albee's is exactly how it's done in my family! Totally brings back fond memories from my childhood.

Spicy Sambal Prawns cooked in a tangy sweet sauce with lots of fresh chillies - This dish also has a hint of some Belacan (shrimp paste) in the mix.

Also known as the 'Four Treasure' dish, this four-bean stir fry is a combination of okra, snake beans, abacus beans and snow peas stir-fried in a Belacan (shrimp paste), birds eye chilli and onion sauce.

Albee's latest addition to their fish head curry range - The Nyonya fish head curry. It's a cross between the original and the asam version. The Nyona fish head curry tastes quite similar to a richer version of laksa with extra tomatoes and also comes with the usual okra, eggplant and fried tofu.

One of the star dishes at Albee's: Their Hainanese steamed chicken. They've got the authenticity of this dish down to a T, and tastes exactly like how my grandma would cook it back home. Of course, they also serve the original Hainanese rice simmered in chicken goodness upon request!

The exterior of H&H Kopitiam - nothing too fancy but the food speaks for everything else! The case to the left contains steamed pork and chicken buns which I didn't get to sample unfortunately!

Armed with my giant Nikon, the shopkeeper thought I was from the local council checking up on her establishment when I started taking photos around her shop! She relaxed abit when I told her I was just genuinely there for the food… To be honest, even if I was from the council, I wouldn’t be worrying too much as the level of hygiene at H&H Kopitiam is pretty good.

The little unit where they prepare the noodle soup dishes. One vat contains a clear fish broth while the other one has the curry soup.

The menu at H&H is very straightforward – you can either have dry or soup noodles ranging from vermicelli, egg and flat rice noodles together with their selection of stuffed tofu and vegetables. They have two kinds of soup; a clear fish broth and a spicy curry. You can opt to have a combination soup with all the toppings, or you can pick your own selection from their glass display.

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Their simple, uncomplicated menu!

They have quite a wide variety of veges and tofu that are stuffed with finely minced fish meat. The stuffed veges on display are eggplant, bittergourd, chilli and okra. The quality of the food at H&H is pretty decent – all the veges and tofu are cut in generous sizes and taste fresh.

An array of stuffed tofu, bittergourd, eggplant, chilli, okra, fishcakes, fishballs, and deep fried crispy tofu.

Besides stuffed veges, they also have fishcakes, fishballs and deep fried crispy tofu. You can actually pick the number of items to go in your soup and they will charge you by item. If you’re just after a light snack, you can just order the stuffed veges and tofu without any soup or noodles.

You can select whatever you want on display to go in your noodle dish.

Their most popular dish is the special curry as was recommended to me by a few people. Being a fan of all things spicy, I ordered one of these with a combination of stuffed eggplant, bitter melon, chilli, tofu and fishcakes with a serving of flat rice noodles. However, when the bowl arrived I noticed that the portion was quite small compared to alot of other noodle soup restaurants around town.

Special Curry with Flat Rice Noodles, Stuffed Eggplant, Chilli, Bittermelon, Fishcakes and Tofu.

The special curry soup was very tasty but I found it too oily, as you can see in the photos. There literally was a thick layer of oil on the top and to get to everything else in the bottom of the bowl one had no choice but to drink the oil too! The oil is from the coconut milk they use in the curry soup base. As it gets cooked, coconut milk slowly unleashes all its fatty goodness upon its bowl-mates!

Special Curry with Egg Noodles and a combination of fish cakes and stuffed veges.

This is probably the first time I have eaten a curry soup like this in Kota Kinabalu. The other curry soups I have tried were either Laksa or Tom Yum whereas the H&H Curry Soup had a very stong curry leaf flavour to it and wasn’t sour like Tom Yum. Despite being too oily, it was still delicious and I would definitely be going back to H&H to try the other dishes on offer. Meals here are very cheap and range from RM4-7.

Krishna's branch at Jalan Lintas boasts two shop lots across the road from one another while one of them is a 2-storey shop with airconditioning upstairs.

Located in the Grand Millenium Plaza along Jalan Lintas, Krishna specialises in South Indian style Fish Head Curry and the famous Banana Leaf set meals with a Malaysian touch. Sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night craving food from Krishna’s. It’s harder now that I no longer live in Sabah – A meal at Krishna’s is now an annual event when I return to visit the folks.

Recently when I was back in Kota Kinabalu, my folks took me through the old ritual of lunching at Krishna’s. Once again, the experience was as memorable as the last. So what is the deal with Krishna’s Curry House? The answer is simply unrivalled dizzying-deliciousness. Putting this down on paper is impossible, one must experience the food in person at Krishna’s to fully understand where I am coming from.

Meat Curries on Display

Typically, a meal at Krishna’s for me involves the Fish Head Curry and Banana Leaf Set Lunch which consists of a platter of fish head curry and all-you-can-eat vegetables and rice. There are different fish head sizes available to suit – ranging from small to monstrous! The fish head curry is priced depending on the size of the fish head. A medium-sized one would cost around RM28. On Fridays and Saturdays, Biryani Rice is also available from the menu.

A typical lunch meal at Krishna's - Fish Head Curry, Vegetables and Rice.

Biryani rice and an array of delicious spicy vegetables - bitter gourd, long beans and spinach.

The types of vegetables and curries on the menu change on a daily basis which makes for great variety. The food at Krishna’s is never too salty or greasy and has the perfect balance of spices. Whenever you order the banana leaf set meals, the waiters will bring you a selection of veges in these tin pots. There can be up to 6 different types of vegetable dishes in one meal setting (lunch or dinner) and one is always spoilt for choice!

A selection of vegetables is brought to you - clockwise from left: Eggplant cooked in spicy tomato sauce, chopped long beans with mustard seeds and melon curry.

A closer look at what came out of the tins... From left to right: Melon Curry, Long Beans and Eggplant.

One of my favourite vegetable dishes from Krishna's - Deep Fried Crispy Bitter Gourd Chips!

The star of the show is of course the Fish Head Curry – I’m never too sure what kind of fish they use – from memory I remember Krishna mentioning something about Ikan Putih. The reason why I rate the fish head curry here so much once again comes down to taste and also freshness. I still can’t get over how fish head is SO underrated outside Malaysia! It’s probably the best part of the fish, especially the eyes and cheeks!

A medium sized fish head is sufficient enough to feed a group of three. If you look at the photo long enough, you will be able to smell the wonderful aroma of the fish head curry.

The fish here is sourced daily from suppliers and I have never once tasted a less-than-inspiring piece of fish head from Krishna’s. The curry sauce has just the right consistency and isn’t too thick or watery. They use lots of tomatoes in the sauce to give it a tangy, sour bite which compliments the fish very well. There is also a generous serving of Okra in the fish head curry.

The Banana leaf set lunch is not complete without a hearty serving of hot rice, topped with dollops of curry sauce!

Most of the time, you’ll get to see Krishna and his wife at the restaurant. Sometimes his boys also help them out. He is a really friendly and jolly fellow who loves to interact with his customers – just how a restaurant host and owner should be. Getting back to the earlier comment I made about Krishna’s hairstyle, he used to sport a ponytail way back in the 90′s…

A photo opportunity with the man himself!

We went there for what was supposed to be breakfast, but daylight savings meant that once we arrived it was already brunch! We were greeted by a queue of patrons out the front, and overheard a lady asking about bookings. We didn’t make a booking (who makes breakfast bookings anyway?!) and didn’t think we’d get a table. But with the large crowd assembled there, it probably goes to show that getting a table is worth the wait!

It only took about 3 minutes in the queue for us to eventually get to the host, and she managed to squeeze the three of us in but we were only given 45 minutes to finish up our meals as the table we got was already reserved for another group. Despite how busy Kazbah was, she still managed to keep her cool and was very friendly.

Picking something to eat from their unique and extensive menu was a challenge! I initially ordered the Fried Duck Eggs, only to be told that they had run out! I went for the Foul Mudammas instead. Foul Mudammas is an Egyptian fava bean stew normally eaten for breakfast. The serving of Foul Mudammas at Kazbah was really thick – a combination of Boiled Egg, Chick Peas, Fava Beans, Garlic, Tahini and Lemon and served with 4 sprigs of fresh shallot and Lebanese bread. The Foul Mudammas tasted pleasant, but was too heavy for me and I couldn’t have eaten the entire bowl on my own as it way too rich, like a dip!

Foul Mudammas

Next up was the Lamb Tagine – A combination of Lamb Mince, Sucuk (sausage), Spinach, Roast Capsicum, Roast Tomatoes, Caramelised Onion, Feta, Eggs, Turkish Toast and Lebanese Bread. We ordered a serving for one person, but you can also get a larger serving for two or more people. The mince in the tagine tasted quite similar to the Spicy Morroccan lamb but wasn’t as sweet and spicy. It still won me over though!

Lamb Tagine

Last to arrive was the Spicy Moroccan Lamb Mince with Hommus, Pine Nuts and Pita Bread. I actually ended up swapping my fava bean dish for my dining companion’s spicy Moroccan lamb because I was in the mood for some hearty meat instead of beans! Out of all three dishes, the Spicy Moroccan Lamb was my favourite. The mince had a really strong flavour which I’m assuming would be cumin, and the pine nuts added that extra bit of crunch. The generous serving of hommus was rich but not too overpowering, while the pita bread was fresh and crispy.

Spicy Moroccan Lamb

The entire meal plus drinks and coffee came up to $68. I definitely rate the food at Kazbah. If you want to try something different for breakfast, this place is definitely worth a visit. It’s probably a good idea to book in advance, just in case!

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My second outing at Kazbah involved an out-of-this-world Lamb Tagine. My dining companion and I ordered the breakfast lamb tagine for two people. It was quite a generous serving and was the perfect portion for two. This also came with two servings of buttered Turkish and Lebanese bread.

Buttered Turkish and Lebanese Bread to be had with the lamb tagine.

The lamb mince was cooked beautifully in aromatic spices and the flavour that truly dominated the tagine dish was cumin. The lamb was cooked with baby spinach leaves, red capsicum, onions, tomatoes and eggs on top. A very hearty and delicious dish! Don’t be too intimidated by the size of it- when you taste how good it is, you too will lick the tagine clean!

Breakfast Lamb Tagine for Two.

Kazbah is located at 379 Darling Street, Balmain 2041.

]]> http://www.devilslastsupper.com/australia/kazbah-on-darling/feed/ 0 http://www.devilslastsupper.com/australia/cafe-berlin/ http://www.devilslastsupper.com/australia/cafe-berlin/#comments Sat, 03 Oct 2009 13:39:27 +0000 Nat http://www.devilslastsupper.com/?p=343 Cafe Berlin is located on the eastern end of Darling Street in Balmain and is renowned for it’s big breakfasts and light lunches – but the extravagant display of home-made cakes in their window is what makes them a specialty cake shop. If you love an afternoon banter with friends over coffee and cake, this is the place to be.

They have a decadent array of home-made cakes, scones, cupcakes and sweet slices available for eat-in or takeaway. Despite the selection, I always end up ordering their bread and butter pudding. It’s always good to bring some friends along so you can try each others cakes!

Cafe Berlin is a hit with the locals in Balmain, and my all-time favourite is the oh-so-indulgent bread and butter pudding. To make it a notch more decadent, I always order a side of hot butterscotch sauce to go with it. The sauce actually belongs to the sticky date pudding, but what the heck!

They are always generous with the butterscotch sauce; needless to say, so am I! It is part of the ritual to lovingly bathe the pudding in sauce. Not to do so is a crime in  my books! It is dense, moist, and has fat, juicy raisins in all the right places that just explode in your mouth, releasing a barrage of buttery, sugarry euphoria.

A faithful companion to my bread and butter pudding will have to be a steaming bowl of hot chocolate (extra chocolate please). The cocoa powder they use at cafe Berlin is dark and bitter which compliments the pudding very well.

I also got a chance to sample the Tiramisu and strawberry cheesecake my tea-time companions were having. The Tiramisu had a good combination of textures – unlike alot of Tiramisus, this one wasn’t too damp. The crushed almond biscotti just melts in your mouth.

The Strawberry Cheesecake was deliciously rich and heavy. The cheese was dense and solid, and had a strong milky flavour that worked in harmony with the strawberry concentrate. Probably a good idea to go slowly on this one! A sip of coffee between bites does help!

As you can see, the cake portions are very generous at Cafe Berlin. Definitely worth the $7.50! Cafe Berlin is located at 249 Darling Street, Balmain 2041.

Sandakan Curry house specialises in South Indian food with a Malaysian touch. Compared to North Indian food, the Southerners don’t actually use much cream at all in their cooking. Chilli also plays a vital role in South Indian cooking and can be very spicy compared to its creamy counterpart. Their specialty dish, I’m assuming, would be the Fish Head Curry that we ordered.

There isn’t much Indian food in East Malaysia as the majority of the Indian population resides in West Malaysia. The most common type of Indian food available in Sabah are the banana leaf and fish head curry set meals. There are also other curries that are available such as mutton and goat which is very popular amongst the locals, as well as rotis and naans.

We ordered the Fish Head Curry Set Lunch for two. Contrary to what many people say about fish head, depending on the size of the fish (duh!) the head is actually very fleshy and has some of the softest and best parts of flesh from the fish, The cheeks and eyes are one of my favourite parts! With this set lunch menu, you also get a choice of plain rice or Biryani, a selection of vegetables and other curries from their glass display cabinet and some papadams (deep fried crispy crackers with cumin seeds).

We went for the Biryani rice (rice cooked with cumin, cardamom, raisins and star anise) which also came with large chunks of chicken. The selection of veges we picked were cabbage with mustard seeds, garlic spinach and bitter gourd curry. Indian set lunches also come with some Dhal (lentil stew) and a spicy vegetable soup, which we also got. Instead of plates, the entire meal is served on a banana leaf which adds to the flavour, hence the name ‘Banana Leaf Set Lunch’ – An economical way to avoid excessive dishwashing later!

The verdict? Very tasty. The pot of fish head curry actually contained about 5 medium-sized fish heads, which is quite unusual. I’ve always seen them served as one whole big head! The curry sauce to this was very tangy as they had cooked it with lots of tomatoes and added okra as well. The Biryani was well seasoned with spices and wasn’t too salty or greasy. The veges tasted great too except they were slightly cold. We definitely got a lot of variety on our banana leaves that day! The entire meal set us back around RM55 with beverages included, which is approximately $20. Not bad! If you’re ever in Sandakan, drop by Sandakan Curry House to taste-test this meal for yourself.

When you arrive at this restaurant, you have to go out the back to pick out your own slice(s) of stingray! The stingray here is always fresh and is caught locally around the shores of coastal Sabah.

Kedai Kopi Chuan Hin is situated at a shop lot on the corner of Jalan Lintas and Luyang, in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah (a mouthful, no pun intended) and is a popular dining destination amongst the locals. My parents and I have been dining at this restaurant for nearly two decades, and their food never dissapoints. Chuan Hin usually only serves food during dinner time and they rarely open during the day.

The stingray is priced by weight – These two chunks cost around RM25 (approximately $12)

Chuan Hin has two main specialties: grilled stringray in banana leaf, and dumplings. These are two dishes that we always order when we eat there. They also serve a wide range of vegetable stir fries, noodles and grilled beef. The stingray is wrapped in a banana leaf and topped with a mild sambal, then grilled on an open fire to crispy perfection. To top it off, the stingray is drizzled with kasturi lime juice to maximise the flavour.

Grilled to perfection – stingray is one of my favourite fishes because of its soft, tender flesh and crispy skin when grilled. The texture is quite similar to a very tender piece of chicken and doesn’t have an overly strong fishy taste.

A meal for three to four people at Chuan Hin would cost around RM50-60 ($30) and is quite reasonable given the great quality of the food. The ambience at Chuan Hin is not something to write home about but the food certainly makes up for it. Chuan Hin probably does the best stingray in Kota Kinabalu and I highly recommend it!

Kasturi lime goes well with this fish as it brings out the flavour and also adds a tangy hit to enhance the sambal flavours.

Chuan Hin’s other specialty dish – Dumplings. Pictured are the fried garlic-chive dumplings. They also serve a minced pork version. You can choose from steamed or fried dumplings. I personally like the fried ones because they’re crispy on the outside!

A meal at Chuan Hin is not complete with their famous fried vermicelli dish. It’s a combination of vermicelli, fish cake, prawns, chicken, egg, bok choy and bean sprouts. We never order rice when we dine here – it seems that the vermicelli has replaced it!

Last but not least, some greens – A plate of stir fried Cakur Manis (Sauropus Androgynus) with Garlic. Cakur Manis is a rich and sweet leafy vegetable with a crunchy stalk that tastes a bit like spinach.

*BURP*