Picky Piggies: October 2018

Whilst Indian food has been a mainstay in Sydney's multicultural dining landscape, we haven't come across many Sri Lankan restaurants. We weren't sure what the subtleties were and were curious to find out at the "Filling Station".

Beef Pan Rolls $7ea

We started with the beef rolls, which were these spring roll-like pastries with mince wrapped in the centre, then coated in breadcrumbs and fried.

Crab Cutlets $16

You can taste a hint of crabs in these croquettes. We found these two appetisers as expected and lacking something punchy.

Egg Hopper $6ea

A staple Sri Lankan dish, egg hoppers are typically bowl-shaped pancakes that are made with rice flour and coconut milk. These crepes can be topped with a variety of fillings. This classic soft-boiled egg hopper had a soft gooey centre and was finished with a crispy edge.

Mixed Sambol Plate $18

To enjoy the hoppers the authentic way, we also got the mixed sambol plate to go with them. There were four kinds of sambols including Green Pol, Pol, Seeni and Katta Sambol. The first two are mainly made with coconut shreds, and the last two are made with caramelised onions and mixed spices.

Hot Butter Cuttlefish $18

If you are a fan of spices then go for this. If you are a fan of cuttlefish, squid or octopus then go for this. If you like all of the above then get two, and you won't regret it! The cuttlefish was so tender and fresh, the was so many flavours going on, it's addictive! This dish is worth a return trip on it's own.

Chicken Curry $22

The chicken curry was mild and creamy, but nothing too exciting...

Pork Curry $18

Mutton curry as on the menu was unavailable on our visit so we got the pork instead, which was cooked using the same ingredients. This was unlike every curry we have tried in the past, it was dark and not very saucy. The pork had a dry and chewy texture to it, almost like eating a pork jerky with sauce. If we didn't know we would have guessed it was beef.

King Coconut Sorbet; Ginger & Tumeric Gelato; Spiced Jaggery Gelato $6ea

The gelato and the sorbet were the main reasons we came here. We are deeply in love with RivaReno Gelato, and after hearing Lankan gets theirs custom made there, we just had to try them out. Unfortunately it was not RivaReno standard. Their gelato usually has a soft consistency and just the right level of sweetness so you can taste the quality and generosity of the ingredients that go in. The ones we tried here were the complete opposite - very sweet and no depth in flavours.

Sweet Lankan $5

We quite like Asian coffees, which are more like coffee flavoured milky beverages, very different to Western coffee. This one was not as we imagined though. It tasted like instant coffee with sugar...not worth getting 😕

This filter coffee was equally unimpressive.

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

Highlight:

Wish we ordered more of the cuttlefish!
Interesting hopper experience

Lowlight:

Other dishes were not on par

Website: http://lankanfillingstation.com.au/

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Recently Chinatown has turned into little Sichuan with many new hotpot joints popping up. If you are after a premium hotpot experience, then the Dolar Shop might be your destination. Notwithstanding a play on the name, this place is nothing cheap, and I mean that in a good way.

As our waitress showed us our table we walked past the open kitchen where all the ingredients are being prepared.

The menu offers a good selection of premium wagyu cuts as well as various soup broths from nourishing mushroom, creamy bone broth to the classic Sichuan hot and spicy broth. What we really like is that each person gets their own mini pot, and if you can't decide you can also get the half-half pot with two different soup base.

Mushroom Broth $9.90

Combination Hot & Spicy + Spare Rib Broth $13.90

For first timers trying spicy hotpot I recommend getting the "mild" Hot & Spicy broth, as shown in the picture above.

Pancake Banana Egg $6.99

We got some roti to snack on while waiting for our broths to heat up. This one we got was mildly sweet with bananas, eggs and raisins.

Selected Wagyu Beef & Lamb Platter $29.90

A selection of Australian meat is on offer with this platter, including M6 Wagyu, lamb, and M4 Wagyu from left to right. The meat was fresh and better than average quality, although the lamb had a slight gamy flavour.

M6+ Wagyu Boneless Short Ribs $32.90

The Dolar Shop Shrimp Pate $16.90

This hand made prawn meatball was the crowd-pleaser. Made with fresh Australian King prawns, it was firm and springy.

Cuttlefish & Fish Roe Pate $16.90

The cuttlefish was good too although not as satisfying as the prawn one, which we ordered an encore.

Worried about how to split this? No problem, the friendly staff will offer to split a meatball or two in every pot.

Fresh Tofu Skin $6.90

Quail Eggs $5.90

Veggie Basket $17.90

Mixed Mushroom Basket $18.90

Hand Crafted Noodles $5.90

Needing some carbs? The hand made noodles are a good way to enjoy either with the broth or your DIY sauce.

DIY Sauce Bar $3pp

The soul to a good hotpot experience are the broth and sauce. There was a wide array of sauces and condiments to experiment with and find whatever floats your pot.

Fruit Bar/Appetizers (included in the sauce fee)

There is also an appetiser and fruit bar, either to get your tummy started or to cool down the heat.

On the weekends this place can get packed and expect up to an hour wait. On the plus side, there are comfortable couches available outside and free drinks and snacks on the side.

If you haven't tried hotpot then it should be something on your list of things to do! It's fun and good for a gathering with friends. No matter how bad a cook you are at home, you can always be proud to cook up something delicious in the hotpot.

Food: 7/10
Service: 8/10
Atmosphere: 9/10

Highlight:

Comfortable and relaxing environment for hotpot
Relatively premium ingredients
Shrimp pate

Lowlight:

If you are after the true Sichuan hotpot experience, then this place might not be for you (stay tuned, more hotpot reviews coming!)

Website: http://www.dolarshop.com/

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