July

Freo (CBD)

Apparently some people don’t like this but to me it tasted nutty with a slight truffle aroma & I enjoyed it a lot. Not visible in picture because it’s buried under toppings…

⭐Taro > ⭐Truffle > sesame > others so far!

Pina (Potts Point)

Tried out this hyped spot in Potts Point.

The Curry Omelette was tasty, the sourdough was great. The Prawn Katsu add-on was salty & underwhelming. The ⭐Sourdough Pancake with maple & bacon was delish, the lemon really brings it together. If you use a lot it's reminiscent of eating a sweet lemon loaf.

I'm late to the game but I had my first ⭐Strawberry Matcha ever. It came out radioactive green; it's clear they use an extremely high grade green tea powder. This has probably ruined many future matcha for me.

So yes, I can see the reason for the queues. And they do clear the table & bill you right after you finish, but honestly the half an hour chat during the wait for a table substitutes the post meal digestion chat lol.

Duo Duo (Burwood)

Courtesy of my gf’s bf I got to try the ⭐Pandan with a Passion (TY 😌). The coconut dacquoise was sweet & textural. It had a clean pandan flavour balanced by hits of passionfruit, making for a very moreish ice cream.

Sweet Lu (Chatswood)

Random but I needed a treat before grocery shopping so I tried the ⭐Salted Egg Yolk Croissant & was stunned. Crispy & overflowing with salted egg sauce 🤤 

I like lava buns but they’re usually too bready for the amount of filling. It seems like they use an identical sauce & it's like 5 bao worth. Great for an Asian bakery chain, no doubt I will be trying more here 😋

Bar Reggio (Darlinghurst)

A Darlinghurst institution known for their quality, no frills Italian. This has sat somewhat lower on my to-try list because the food is kind of ugly & seemed like it would be basic. But I had the opportunity to visit this month & wow, it deserves it’s reputation.

Everything was tasty & flavourful. I wish the chalkboard special, ⭐Crab Meat Angel Hair, was more al dente but the flavour was *chef kiss* in my top seafood pastas.

Bengong Metro (CBD)

I had the 🚩mochi balls here & they were like cardboard. But I don’t believe in reviewing places unless I’ve tried at least two things from them, including their signature product 🥺

So I tried the 🚩egg tart & it was mid. It had the texture of steamed egg, without much flavour; it seems like the filling is diluted to cut costs. The shell texture was actually good. In short, a shop that smells like butter in a high traffic location with food that is passable, but not enough to create meaningful reputation/loyalty, is still an effective business model 🥴