The Live Feed: Mamak, Chinatown

Inspired by the "Why did the chicken cross the road?" joke format, this review will be written entirely in the form of questions and answers. 

Q:     Why did my girlfriend and I travel across town at 10:30pm on a Friday
         night?

A:     To eat Mamak's fried chicken (we'd had a few drinks and dinner was
         torturously delayed).

Teh tarik ($3.50) - warm tea sweetened with condensed milk and 'stretched', creating a frothy head.

Q:     Why is Mamak's roti canai the best in Sydney?

A:     Because it's light, fluffy and served fresh with 2 delicious curry sauces and
         fiery sambal.
        
         Also, if you're waiting in line, you are conveniently entertained by the
         chefs as they pound, stretch and spin the roti dough with acrobatic ease. 



Roti canai ($5.50)

Q:     Why is Mamak's ayam goreng one of the best forms of fried chicken in
         town?

A:     Because it's spicy and oh-so-crispy on the outside and always juicy on the
         inside.  Best eaten with nasi lemak - coconut rice, slices of cooling
         cucumber and aforementioned sambal for those that want the extra kick.

Up close and personal with Mamak's ayam goreng

Nasi Lemak ($8.50) with ayam goreng (+$3.00)

Q:     What is rojak?

A:     A Malaysian-style satay salad - fried tofu pieces, shaved yambean and
        cucumber and hard-boiled egg halves are topped with a spicy peanut
        sauce and freshly fried coconut and prawn fritters to delicious effect.

Rojak ($14.00)

Q:     Why are there still lines for this place at 11:30pm?

A:     Because it's quick, cheap, authentic and open till 2am.  You'd be hard
         pressed to find better versions of these Malaysian staples anywhere
         in Sydney (and according to parental reports, maybe even in Malaysia!). 

Mamak
15 Goulbourn Street
Haymarket
9211 1688
http://www.mamak.com.au/

The Live Feed: Bamiyan, Five Dock

The Live Feed is All Chenga's Friends' regular restaurant and food review column. Warning - the following post will contain graphic food pornography.

I don't know much about Afghanistan, so when I saw a review of an Afghani restaurant AND discovered its location in the Inner West, I knew this would be a convenient, cultural and culinary experience to savour.  Enlisting a few lads from around the area (and one birthday boy from the Lower North Shore), we headed along to Bamiyan on a chilly Tuesday evening. 

Warm-coloured walls, sitar tunes and a roaring fireplace create a homely atmosphere in an otherwise unassuming building off the main drag of Five Dock.  The menu seems to take a culinary carpet ride (sorry) around the Asian continent (dumplings, curries, naan) with the occasional foray into other regions (kebab-style meats, meatballs, Afghani pasta).  Our ordering was guided by the friendly staff and Grab Your Fork (every diner's best friend).  

Kadoo Bolanee ($9.90) + Ashaak ($10.90)

The Afghani take on flat bread, Kadoo Bolanee, is stuffed with pumpkin and spices before being pan-fried.  It's not stuffed with as much pumpkin as desired, but the flavour is there and certainly complemented by a dab of the fiery green chilli chutney.  The texture and flavour of the Ashaak dumplings are not dissimilar to Chinese shui jiao.  Here they are filled with chives and topped with yoghurt, a spicy chickpea tomato sauce and ground mint - a winning flavour and colour combination.

Chicken Nakhut Korma Pallow - served with Pallow Rice ($21.90)

Sabzi Paneer ($16.90)

The mains we ordered definitely remind me of Indian dishes I've had before, just with a bit of a fresh twist.  The Bamiyan version of a Chicken Korma sees tender thigh pieces cooked in a rich tomato gravy, studded with chickpeas and fresh herbs.   Sabzi Paneer is close relative to an Indian/Pakistani palak paneer, but adds chopped garlic and cumin which imparts a spicy kick and a darker complexion.  The wonderfully named Kabab Daggy neglected to be photographed - cubes of lamb back strap cooked in garlic, onions and herbs and served with fresh afghani naan.  

Afghani Naan ($3.50) and Pallow Rice ($4.50)

Safran Kulfi ($6.00) and Pista Kulfi ($6.00)

A pair of Kulfi to finish - the saffron flavoured milky ice cream was particularly good, paired with a sweet strawberry coulis.  The staff commented how clean our table was after the mains.  We pitched for a freebie (saving them cleaning costs, no?) and were served glasses of Afghan green tea on the house.

5000 years of historical world flavours
... and just a couple of drinks brewed in Manly

All the dishes were well balanced and tasted fresh, consistent with the restaurant's assurance that all curries are "made fresh on the pan after your order has been placed".  Coupled with friendly service, warm atmosphere and a bottleshop stocking 4 Pines across the road,  Bamiyan looks to be a winning local option for a twist on your regular Indian/Pakistani fare.

Bamiyan
175 First Avenue
Five Dock
9712 7801


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The Live Feed: Pho Sam, Epping

The Live Feed is All Chenga's Friends' regular restaurant and food review column. Warning - the following post will contain graphic food pornography.

During my lunch hour the other day, my parents were kind enough to join me at the Vietnamese joint near work, Pho Sam. It is consistently packed with punters happily tucking into cheap and cheery Vietnamese favourites. The atmosphere is laid back and slightly kitsch - we're talking tea from a thermos, self serve cutlery and food porn on the walls.

The parents had not been to Pho Sam before, so I ordered a selection of the 'regulars' for the purposes of:
- general flavour assessment

- judgement of MSG content and

- establishing the cooking skill of the chef

Fried Pork Chop with Rice Noodle Soup - $7.80 (lunch special)

The gargantuan pork chop was impeccably fried - crisp on the exterior, yet still moist inside. The pork was strongly flavoured with lemongrass - fragrant and more-ish. The parents were impressed by both the size and flavour this one. The nuoc cham dipping sauce was only utilized on a few mouthfuls - the pork chop was completely delicious on its own. However, the accompanying rice noodle soup was unremarkable and slightly MSG-y.

Crispy Skin Chicken with Red Rice - $8.50

I'd eat this chicken over KFC any day! The thigh meat was juicy and flavoursome and the skin is, as the name suggests, crispy. I'd say that the nuoc cham is crucial in this dish - the sweet and sourness really balances with the savoury flavour of the chicken. The red rice (which is coloured with tomato paste) is studded with bits of egg and quite addictive (more MSG perhaps?). The fresh veges lessen the guilt of eating deep fried chicken, as well as providing a refreshing crunch.

Nasi Goreng - $11.00

The fried rice was a colourful jumble of fried egg, shards of crisp cucumber and spring onion. Bits of lap cheong, deep fried onions and strips of fish cake added wonderful flavours. The rice itself had good wok hei (flavour of the wok) and was flavoured with what the parents and I though was shrimp paste and some type of sambal.

All in all, a reliable, tasty cheap eat with great flavours and huge serves - the perfect working week lunch option!


Pho Sam Noodle House
14 Oxford Street
Epping
9869 0499


Now my dear reader... what is your favourite work lunch spot?

The Live Feed: Hangover Pho in Chatswood

I believe that hangovers are highly underrated. They provide a suitable fuzziness of mind to browse JB Hi-Fi, try on flannel shirts and listen to LCD Soundsystem. It is also accompanied by an ill feeling in the stomach which, in turn, provides opportunity to search out food which will hopefully ease the pain.

This is the situation i found myself a couple of weekends ago. After sinking a few too many beers at Britpop, i found myself craving some new music DVDs and a bowl of steaming pho.



I made the trip to JB Hi Fi and was pleasantly surprised to find that all DVDs were 20% off. Subsequently, i was able to buy the most recent DVD releases from Blur and The White Stripes (reviews to come!) for a tidy sum of $32.

Afterward, i made my way to Golden Bo Chinese/Vietnamese Restaurant. I had previously browsed the restaurant and the menu, which was ramshackle-looking enough to convince me that it would serve some tasty Vietnamese fare.

I ordered the special combination pho. The requisite plate of bean sprouts, lemon, fresh chillies and Thai basil come out first, along with squeezy bottles of Hoisin sauce and Sriracha-style chilli sauce.

The pho arrives - i begin the all important garnishing ritual before digging in. The bowl is rich with pieces of tripe, beef balls, tendon and thin slices of beef, all of which i dunk into the hoisin/chilli combo. The rice noodles swim in a fragrant beef broth, spiked with the flavour of the fresh chilli, thai basil and lemon.

Finally, the hangover began to subside as i left the restaurant, tummy soothed and pho craving satisfied.

Golden Bo

Shop 3A, 72-76 Archer St, Chatswood

Phone: 9410 2086

Now, my dear reader... what is your favourite hangover food and/or hangover activity? Please post below!