Picky Piggies: June 2018

More of Picky Piggies' truffle hunt! Unable to satisfy our cravings for this black nugget after our visit to Monkey's Corner last week, we decided to descend upon Devon and conquer their newly launched truffle menu. We chose to go with their Surry Hills restaurant as the menu options sounded more appealing (Barangaroo and North Sydney have their own special truffle menu).

Truffle Giandula Latte $9.5

It's hard not to draw comparison to Cavalier's Truffle Mocha. This was definitely different - however not in a pleasant way. The coffee element was there, but to be honest this tasted more like a creamy savoury soup. Any traces of chocolate and hazelnut were not detectable as a result of an overpowering amount of truffle salt as visible in the picture. We are unsure if this was the intended result. After removing the excess salt, it was still very salty.

Enough salty coffee... and on to the food...

Ultimate Toastie $33

We liked the well cooked eggs and good selection of assorted mushrooms, including porcini and shiitake as well as the more typical button and oyster types. However, the flavour was rather flat, and we felt like this dish needed something to elevate the fragrance of the mushrooms, and the shaved truffle didn't do it. The part that killed it for us was soggy bread - not what you'd imagine when ordering a toastie.

Truffle Mentaiko Uni Pasta $38

Truffle, uni, and ikura are definitely a winning combination, and we would certainly get it again if we see it on the menu elsewhere. The creaminess of the fresh uni balanced the punchy aroma of the truffle, and the ikura seasoned everything perfectly. To be sure, the uni did carry a slight odor, which some people may not mind.

Truffle Fries $22

There were enough fries for us and the table of 4 next to us to share! The fries were fried to a good crunchiness, except for by coating them in a layer of cheese, as opposed to dusting the cheese on top, they became slightly soggy and less enjoyable. We found the cheese competing for centre stage with the truffle in terms of flavour.

P.S. If we were to revisit Devon during truffle season, we'd go to their Barangaroo restaurant. You can add truffle to any dish on the standard menu for $15.

Omurice & Extra Crumbed Prawns $24

This omurice is a dish we'd come back for in its own right, and we'd love to try it with truffle. The eggs were silky and fluffy, and the sweet and savoury gravy tied everything together. Paying extra for the crumbed prawns was easily worth it. There were prawns in every bite.

Food: 4/10

Service: 6/10

Atmosphere: 6/10

Highlight:

😳

Lowlight:

Standard of food appears lower than the Barangaroo restaurant
Pricey
Carbs heavy menu
Paying an extra $5 for a tiny piece of truffle, a load of salt, and an undrinkable cup of coffee

Website: http://www.devoncafe.com.au/
Address: 76 Devonshire St, Surry Hills, NSW 2010
Hours: Mon-Fri 7am-3:30pm
Sat-Sun 8am-3:30pm

Phone: 02 9211 8777

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Matcha-Ya is Sydney’s newest matcha joint, located in the brand new Darling Square precinct. Open till 10pm everyday, Matcha-Ya will relieve you of all your late night matcha cravings! Even late at night (9:30pm) on a weekday, the place is still packed and bubbly.

M&H Swirl Soft Serve $3.9

Don't underestimate a simple soft serve, it takes a master to get it right! Several joints now serve Japanese style soft serve in Sydney, yet Matcha-Ya's version comes with a vengeance and is the best we've had so far. This mixed soft serve was smooth and creamy, and the combination of the bitter matcha and nutty hojicha brought another dimension of flavours.

Sakura Matcha Latte (L) $7.5

At the end of a long and tiring day, this matcha latte was a pleasing sight for sore eyes. The vibrant green colour of the matcha literally pops. A salt-pickled sakura flower and a dollop of dairy goodness add contrast to the sea of green. We would have preferred the sugar-pickled sakura alternative, which may have paired better with the matcha, but no worry as the concentrated sakura flavour is contained in the flower itself only and you don't really taste it in the drink.

You can purchase these packs of infused matcha powder to take home. Matcha-Ya sources its matcha from Shizuoka, Japan at tea auctions every season.

Food: 8/10
Service: 7/10
Atmosphere: 8/10

Highlight:

Use of high quality unsweetened matcha powder
Open till late everyday

Lowlight:

Limited menu options for non-tea-lovers

Website: https://matchaya.com.au/
Address: NW.05, 10 Steam Mill Lane, Haymarket, NSW 2000
Hours: Mon-Sun 12pm-10pm

Phone: N/A

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In case you are wondering who the monkeys are, it's the 3 Poernomo brothers of Koi's fame. Monkey's Corner by the way is literally next door to Koi, with a main focus on casual style fusion cuisine and drinks as opposed to desserts.

WA Black Truffle Egg Noodle w Mushroom Puree $25

A bit of truffles always helps. An otherwise dull and simple dish is immediately elevated to instaworthy status. Oh and it tastes as good as it looks looks. Don't underestimate the mushroom puree, which packs a punch of shiitake flavour. The al dente noodles had a bouncy texture and the marbled truffle shavings gave it a nutty aroma.

Scramble Egg, Kewpie, Furikake $10

To be honest, this dish sounded almost too simple and homey. Knowing Reynold from his Masterchef appearance, we knew it had to have a catch... and we are glad to have ordered it. We are still wondering how the eggs were cooked so silky and smooth. This dish resembles the scrambled eggs from the Australia Dairy Company in Hong Kong, which (has nothing to do with Australia!) but was mindblowing soft and fluffy.

Ox Tongue, Beef Fat, Chives & Lime $15

Ox tongue isn't a favourite of ours but if we were to try it we had to try it here since it's one of the signature dishes of Monkey's Corner. The super thin tongue melts in your mouth and the charred edges were the best part. Finely chopped chives and a hint of lime helped to cut through the greasiness, still we found the dish too oily.

Pork Belly Bao $8.5 ea

Nothing to complain here, except for it didn't really stand out from the other bao joints. The XS pork belly (not some fancy sauce just means extra small) leaves you looking for more.

King Prawn, Konbu Butter $22

$11 per prawn is not what we were expecting from a casual eatery. At least the prawns were fresh and plump. Given the prawns were so pricey, we were careful to soak up every bit of the kombu butter. However, the dressing was watered down and any kombu flavour was very faint.

Food: 7/10
Service: 6/10
Atmosphere: 6/10

Highlight:

Overall creative dishes

Lowlight:

Scarce portions, inconsistent with the official photos
Dishes were hit-and-miss

Website: https://www.monkeyscorner.com.au/
Address: 40 Kensington St, Chippendale NSW 2008
Hours: Mon Closed
Tue-Fri 5-11pm
Sat 12-11pm
Sun 12-10pm

Phone: (02) 9212 2085

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Don't have time to eat? Visit Shortstop for an effective dose of your weekly calories! With more than a dozen flavours and four styles of donuts - cake, raised, filled and cruller - you are bound to find one destined for your belly. Jammed with sugar, flour and fat, these creations are true to the American donut spirit.

Rhubarb Cheesecake $6

Mexican Hot Chocolate $5

Coconut Lemon Meringue $5.50

Here on a Sunday? Be sure to try to Coconut Lemon Meringue - a Sunday special. The sweet spongy donut filled with an oozing lemon curd centre was perfectly topped off with a soft and creamy meringue. A subtle coconut note is the masterstroke in making this a well balanced donut.

Thai Milk Tea $5

Thai tea, with its distinctive aroma, is something that is hard to miss. Despite the name, the Thai tea flavour was elusive, and the only element that featured it was the glaze on top. A Thai tea cream filling to reinforce the theme would have elevated this donut to a whole new level.

Spiced Apple Cider $4.5

Don't take the name too seriously, and you'll find this an enjoyable, although very greasy donut. If I didn't see the tag, I would have guessed it was a chocolate donut even after having it. Not only does it resemble the shape of a twisted churro, the texture is just as crunchy and airy.

Maple Walnut & Brown Butter $5

We found the brown butter flavour really came through and was a good match with the maple walnut. However the donut itself was quite dense, and at this stage the donuts were really filling us up 😵

Australian Honey & Sea Salt $4.5

Food: 6/10
Service: 9/10
Atmosphere: 7/10

Highlight:

Vast selection of donuts
Coconut Lemon Meringue

Lowlight:

Easy way for a sugar high!

Website: https://www.short-stop.com.au/
Address: 3/23 Barangaroo Avenue, Barangaroo, NSW 2000
Hours: Mon-Fri 8am-5pm
Sat-Sun 9am-5pm

Phone: 0499 366 883

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Tucked away at the end of Eating World Food Court in Chinatown Gumshara prides itself in serving authentic ramen, based on a recipe its sister restaurant invented 20 years ago in Nara, Japan. Having visited Gumshara and several other ramen shops in Sydney many times, this is clearly the most iconic joint and definitely worth a visit for ramen lovers and beginners alike.

Spicy Garlic Tonkotsu Ramen $16 & Soft-boiled Egg $2

The creamy broth was elevated both in terms of texture and taste by the crispy fried garlic, which carried a nutty aroma. The chilli kicks in just the perfect amount not to be overpowering. We picked the thick noodles, which were cooked al dente and the thinly sliced char siu pork was cooked until tender with a nice char on the outside.

Pork Sparerib Ramen $17.5

Gumshara's signature ramen features the ultimate rib experience. The gluey soup has a distinctive porky flavour, which reminds Mr Piggy of smelly socks (in an enjoyable way 😀). You can ask for a thinner soup when ordering, which we recommend. We got the thin noodles for this one, which is the classic choice. However, we found the noodles a bit starchy and not as al dente. The rib itself is a bit of a hit-and-miss. This time it could have been cooked for a bit longer to achieve a more tender meat and better rendered fat.

Make sure you visit outside of 3-5pm to get the Tonkotsu broth. The broth is made daily using over 100 kilos of fresh pork bones.

Food: 7.5/10
Service: 5/10 (you pick up your own ramen and condiments)
Atmosphere: 2/10 (budget food court environment)

Highlight:

Spicy garlic ramen
Authentic taste
Easy way to satisfy all your pork cravings

Lowlight:

Meatiness of the tonkotsu broth can be overwhelming
Sparerib every time is slightly different

Website: https://www.facebook.com/Gumshara-Ramen-257609477284/
Address: Eating World Food Court, 25-29 Dixon Street, Haymarket
Hours: Tue-Sat 11:30-9pm
Sun-Mon 11:30-8:30pm
Phone: 0410 253 180

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