queen of eggs benny ♔

Funnily enough, I heard about this cafe AFTER I graduated high school in Parramatta which was very disappointing, as I never visited Parramatta unless it was for school. So we drove all the way down just to see what the hype was about (i.e. SMH Good Cafe Guide Awards 2013)!!!!!! We were meaning to revisit the Grounds again to try the winter breakfast menu but of course, I can never quite drag myself out of bed past 10:30 am. Besides... its getting overrrated...

Theres a car-park behind Circa Espresso with 1-2 hours costing $3 and $12 for a whole day, although you can park in the Westfield's but we were lazy. Its a short walk from the station and the shopping centre, at most 5 minutes.

In the BG: Avocado, Green pea mash with a hint of chilli on Sourdough toast & Baked Eggs W/ Sujuk, Danish Fetta, tomato & hint of chilli with toast served in the Pan

African Red Hot chocolate

The service was reasonably attentive! There were about 3 waiters around the front area and even the big boss himself I think. Hes in the picture above! Although the food took its time (15 mins), our coffee and hot choco produced quite immediately! I think thats one of their specialities using Single Origin beans. The boy enjoyed his cappuccino with an extra shot (TOO BITTER! I H8 COFFEE) & I LOVED my African hot chocolate! It did have an exotic taste to it.... one of the best and most unique hot choco Ive ever had! Definitely recommended for the non-caffeine addicts. You know it tasted good because I didnt even ask for marshmallows!

OK THE FOOD.... admittedly, this is one of the first Baked eggs Ive had at a cafe. It was tasty, I couldnt get enough of the Chorizo and scraping the eggs off the pan. The fetta tasted too sour for my liking, there were huge chunks and not enough egg surface area if that makes sense. I couldve done with another egg in my pan. And definitely more rocket leaves, I mean cmon. The bread was toasted to perfection, although it may look a bit dry in the picture. It would be good if they had extra sides options because I love my breakfast with added spinach, avocado and mushroom.. however, I ended up spooning up some avocado from my boys plate... hehe. Overall, the baked eggs were not filling enough for my fat tummy! Such a shame :(

His dish was just simply mashed up avocado on sourdough bread with a wedge of lemon so not much to say there! He said coffee made him bloated haha.

We got seated as soon as we got there around 11:30am on a Wednesday but if you want to avoid queues, 10-11am would be the best time to visit! The kitchen closes at 2pm.

Where? 
21 Wentworth St, Parramatta, 2150

Opening hours:
Mon - fri: 7am til 4pm
Not open on weekends! :(

This post is archived under baked eggs, breakfast, brunch, coffee, eggs, hot chocolate, parramatta, sydney

Location: 21 Wentworth Street, Parramatta NSW 2150, Australia

Tonkatsu dog $6.50

Teriyaki Chicken dog $5.50 and Creamy Shrimp Croquette dog $6.20

Soy Butter and Seaweed Shaker fries $4.40

 I also grabbed a green tea float as well but I forgot to take a picture. It was the most anti-climatic drink in the history of green tea drinks. The flavour was very bitter-some which was adaptable but still a mediocre drink. The green tea ice-cream really made no difference at all, if any to the flavours. Nothing that reached the WOW factor. There's some brown syrup near the sauces if you want any extra added sweetness. Next time I'll be trying the Azuki frappe!

If you like those Dagwood dogs at the Easter show, the Tonkatsu dog is perfect for you (and me)!! It is tonkatsu panko bread crumbed over a Slovenia kranksy, still being able to provide a succulent taste towards the middle. It has a bbq-esque sauce over the sausage, of course I add extra ketchup and mustard sauce for the full-effect. Although, after one bite... I had the wasabi sensation in my mouth!!! I couldn't figure out what it was, it was very overpowering and realised it came from the mustard sauce. Since when was there wasabi in mustard?! Owell, I ended up scraping it off and enjoyed the rest.

My next favourite was the Creamy Shrimp Croquette dog! Literally ebi fried prawn with generous amounts of Jap mayo in a bun. Interesting concept to take in! The Teriyaki chicken dog wasn't a winner though, the chicken breast got lost in the bread and I ended up eating more avocado than chicken upon sharing! The flavours weren't really there for me.

The Shaker fries also has different flavours such as: Wasabi, Teriyaki, Chili and Garlic, Soy Butter and Seaweed. I chose the latter as it seemed more appealing and unique! They were very addictive but really lacked the buttery taste I was looking for. I felt like the fried seaweed was nothing special. It was like eating seaweed from the seaweed packets I buy from the asian grocers. Just crumbled up in fries. Ketchup to the rescue! :)

WHERE?
Chanoma Cafe
Regents place, ground floor
501 George st, Sydney, NSW, 2000
Ph: (02) 9266 0667

This post is archived under cbd, chanoma cafe, fries, green tea, hot dogs, japadog, japanese, sydney, townhall

Location: 501 George Street, Sydney NSW 2000, Australia

Let me tell you, we spent at least a minute staring at the nondescript door before a coupla folks inside stared us down. Only to realise that 'Mary's' was sprawled clumsily in marker at the top... yes there is no sign. It's pretty hidden but you'll find it next to Kelly's On Kings back entrance.

The atmosphere was relaxed on a weekday afternoon.. there is an upstairs level which we headed towards which is much more suitable for couple time with candlelit tables for extra intimacy ;) The lighting is highly dim even for the day time.

Mary's burger with shoestring fries ($14) and me enjoying my burger :D
WHOLE BIRD $28
Mary's 6 Mary Street, Newtown, NSW 2032

This post is archived under burgers, fatty, foodie, fried chicken, greasy, mary's, newtown, pubfood, sydney

Location: Sydney NSW 2032, Australia

Lo and behold! The first post is dedicated to probably the tastiest cake ever to venture into my mouth.
You can't refuse the Strawberry Watermelon and Rose cream cake... even if it costs $7.50 for a small piece. It is definitely worth the 45 minute commute from my hometown.

The tiny innards of the cafe? bakery? holds a barista with shelves encasing with delectable pastries and sweets. I hear the lamb shank pie and the lamb shake pie & beer brisket pie are quite the popular studs as well - but nonetheless, the Strawberry watermelon cake steals the show!

It's a funny story actually, I brought some cake home for my mum to try and she was very critical of the cake haha (we own an Asian bakery). Her view of the cake was that there was hardly any cake but an abundance of cream and fruit, she was also surprised by the (edible) rose petals. There's probably only one layer of actual 'softness' that deems it as a cake. Who knew dried rose petals tasted so good?

The cake is super light to eat, it isn't heavy on the sweetness but the fact that it is predominantly rose cream and fruit probably holds the reason why. If you're not a cake lover, you're this cake's lover.

Best to avoid the weekend rush, people would line up just to savour the deliciousness of this cake i.e. me.

Black Star Pastry

This post is archived under black star pastry, cake, newtown, perfection, strawberry watermelon cake, sydney

Location: Newtown NSW, Australia