Hancham, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong

Let’s take a time capsule back to March 2015, when I was in Hong Kong. I should have known better when I was going out with my aunt and uncle, they never disappoint in the places they take me to. So, I was disappointed in myself for not lugging my camera around during our day of shopping. So, I sufficed with my phone camera, because I decided to feed you all as well #bloggerproblems.

Like many other Hong Kong eateries, Hancham is found inside an old building and would easily be missed if you were not familiar with the area. My aunt and uncle had actually stumbled across this gem while scanning the streets for food.

If the wait staff speaking limited Cantonese and resulting to me speaking to them in English was no indication of a more traditional Korean restaurant, then the photo of Big Bang’s leader, G-Dragon would have been.  I must say, the inner fangirl in me screamed a little, as this was totally unexpected – I had to keep it within me as my dining companions have no idea who he is.

 Short beef ribs HKD $250 (AUD $44)

We start with one of my must orders, the beef ribs! I’m surprised by how on the menu, you see on piece of beef ribs and it really does come as one. My aunt said, when they first opened, the photo had three and still served one piece, my uncle had made a friendly note that it was a little misleading. From that point, it had changed. It is quite steep in price for a piece of meat, however in saying that – it was so tender. The hints of garlic and soy marinade seeps through with a bite. The quality of the meat is noticed, so that is where you will note the price.

Pork jowl HKD $150 (AUD $26)

We got the pork jowl, because my aunt isn’t a fan of too fatty foods, so I had to put my pork belly love on hold. (Fun fact: I take pride in my pork belly cooking at kbbq). But the pork jowl, was delicious, it cured all my pork belly needs, in all the right ways. The tender pieces of pork cooked with a slight crisp exterior makes me one happy pork lover.

Beef tartare with pear and honey HKD $180 (AUD $31)

The beef tartare was a risk taker for me in the sense that I am a little weary about eating raw foods when overseas. But rest assured, I survived to tell the tale. There was subtle sweetness throughout, I did find the pear was a little lost, but that's ok because it offered a refreshing crunch. The beef had that slight chew but not tough, and if you’re all for tartares, I do recommend this dish.

Kimchi pancake HKD $130 (AUD $23)

The kimchi pancake was thin and massive – as most pancakes are served. It was thin delivered to the palate with the kimchi ratio. But because I’m all about crispy and crunch, I would have loved it to be pan fried a little more for that crispy layer, for a tiny crunch when I take that first bite.

Seaweed and oyster soup HKD $100 (AUD $18)

Because my grandma isn’t much of a spicy eater, though she loves it. We went for a more mainstream soup – seaweed with oyster. I love seaweed; I love soup so I love seaweed soup. If you’re not a fan of seafood, I would steer clear from this as the soup base is very concentrated, aside from that it was a very clean and clear on the palate. It was a nice contrast compared to everything else we had ordered, where they were much stronger in taste.

I would say that Hancham is on the higher price end compared to many other eateries. But I did find upon walking in, the interior did emit that feeling. Again, I wouldn't have expected anything less when with my aunt and uncle.

Because I was only in Hong Kong for a few days, I had wanted to eat EVERYTHING. I walked out of Hancham full, but before I went in I walked past the street food and wanted spicy fish balls, so my mind was set. Unfortunately, we did not see it again when we left.

BUT NO FEAR, I met up with my cousin-in-law the next day, and that craving was satisfied because he bought me fish balls.

And just because I love food sharing, Miss CC and I also got our cheung fun (steamed rice noodles with peanut and hoi sin sauce) and ngou lei so (sweet deep fried dough stick).

Have you ever been to a restaurant and found out a celebrity also dined there after? Or do you go to restaurants that you know they’ve been to?

And who here also loves street food? Because I am always up for a snack when shopping and Asia makes it so accessible! I don’t need a proper meal to waste shopping time! Just keep me full by feeding me constantly with food that’s just there!

Hancham Korean BBQ
Winfield Commercial Building,
1F, 8 Prat Ave,
Hong Kong

Second shop

Empire Centre,
Shop 43, UG/F, 

68 Moddy Road,

Tsim Sha Tsui,

Hong Kong 

Damda, Leichardt

After my holiday to Seoul, South Korea 3 years ago, there are particular foods that cannot be found back here in Sydney. Things like odeng (fish cake soup) and hotteok (Korean pancake with filling), and it’s understandable as these are found on the streets. But believe me, when I found out there was hotteok available here; I wanted to be at Damda, pronto.

To me, Leichardt will always be known as Little Italy, so it’s still a surprise that a little Korean restaurant is located here. And one Tuesday evening, Miss CC and I were found dining in Damda.

Complimentary popcorn is placed on the table, and their rather interesting. Coated in a sweet soya sauce.

Dragon ball $6.50

We start with the dragon ball, a take on a croquette with corn fillings.

The corn reminds me of a thick creamed corn, and brings you all the sweet corn in taste. The filling is not too thick, but does not run. The exterior is crunchy as a croquette is, but the Korean chilli jam helps give this a boost in flavour with the slight kick offered.

Spicy chicken $18 (full serve)

There is never a passing by when we see fried chicken on the menu, because protein! As it is hard to choose between the two offered, as the El De Paso girl states, “Why not have both?!” The spicy chicken , is sticky sweet and spicy, topped with crushed nuts the chicken remains juicy inside.

Soya, garlic fried chicken $18

The soya sauce fried chicken helps counter balance the strong flavours from the spicy and brings you back to enjoy the mere crunch in the chicken. Half-half servings are definitely a win-win situation.

Tacos $3.50 each OR $12 for 4

The taco shell is a little on the tougher side, perhaps cause it’s a little more dough-y. But the fillings were a great mix of Korean flavours. We get all the choices, because, experiments. (image left to right) Chilli pork, bulgogi beef, bulgogi chicken and chilli chicken. As you all know, my love for pork – thus no surprise this is the winner. The pork cooked to perfection, not dry at all and hints of subtle charcoal. Would love it to be a little more spicier, but that’s a personal preference.

Cold kimchi noodles $11

Cold noodles was a selection in hopes to not over fill our stomachs, we loved the noodle texture. It was silky smooth with a dollop of kimchi sitting on top. I’ve never soup with my spicy cold noodles, as the ones I usually order are the dry ones, but I love the light spicy yet tangy touch to this. Perfect for summer!

Hotteok $10

And now, the reason why we were here! Hotteok! All the better when served with ice cream, as in Korea standing in the snow covered streets, ice cream would be far from your mind. I was a child sitting in her seat, bouncing with excitement.

Filled with brown sugar, nuts, yuzu honey and cinnamon this was all things good. It’s a tackle to eat when on the streets with hot syrup running, but that’s also the joys of it. The nuts give you a nice bite, the cinnamon brings a little pop of spice between the sweet goodness. The ice cream just tops it off with the refreshing sweetness. The exterior has a slight layer of crisp yet the whole gives you that eslaaticity of tteokbokkie. I am in heaven…

kimchi pancake $10

A revisit it made with mum and aunty JS as I wanted to try more on their menu. We go for the kimchi pancake, and while it isn’t anything too different from many other Korean joints, it was a little more challenging to serve as it was not cut up.

Platters $38

But the real reason for my return was that, I wanted to try their platters. We go for the bossam pork belly. The pork skin is a little chewy, but that’s how it always is for this dish anywhere. You get noodles, the same as the noodles used in the cold noodles, but this has been tossed in go chu jang sauce, great spice for us chilli lovers. It also comes with side dishes: corn balls with fried lotus chips, vegies and some mash potato. I’d love to go back and try the bulgogi beef!

And for my love for hotteok, my second visit was not short on another order for my belly.

If you’re ever in Leichardt and feel like Korean, you know where to go!

Have you ever had something overseas and hope to find it here back home? And have you found it yet?

Damda

166 Norton Street,

Leichardt 

Buttermelt Cafe, Strathfield

It’s been a while since I met up with Miss AC, and the only time we really get to catch up is when we’re both on uni break. So, we quickly scheduled our calendars to coincide as soon as break started. And so, this is how we found ourselves sitting in Buttermelt café.

Chai tea $4.50

My chai tea did not come with a cup, and being the kind soul she is Miss AC got up to ask the wait staff for one. I sat and watched, and she came back all jolly letting me know that it would be on the way.

Flat white $3.50

“You do know you asked another customer right?”

“Huh? No,” She turns around and sees the guy in the black tee standing at the counter, waiting for coffee, “Wait, no, really? But…”

“Yeah, no.”

“OMG! That’s so embarrassing!”

She never fails to amuse, never.

Salmon benedict danish $15.50

She jumped from one item to another on the menu, not sure which she wanted but ended up with her very first choice, eggs benedict. Runny poached eggs is a hit and miss, as the table next to us had beautifully running eggs and the eggs on Miss AC’s were overcooked but she enjoyed her hollandaise sauce, scraping her plate clean.

Bulgogi kimchi pullover $14.50

I, on the other hand went with their lunch menu and had the bulgogi kimchi pullover. The bulgogi beef was sweet, but with that added kimchi gave a nice spicy kick to the dish. It was a very morish dish, and perfect for winter.

Brioche french toast $14.50

I’ve heard about their pancakes, mainly from Sonia from jayesslee, however the pancakes are only available after 4pm. There are breakfast buttermelt pancakes or the French toast brioche. We opt for the French toast. I am personally a little over brioche, but I’m glad that this didn’t have too much of that buttery taste, and felt a tad healthier to eat. Thickly cut and topped with mascarpone cheese, strawberries and mixed berry Canadian maple. We were digging in for more.

Would I be back? Perhaps, only because I am intrigued by their pancakes – so hopefully I’ll be around Stratty one afternoon, after 4pm…

Have you ever mistaken a fellow patron as wait staff? I’d love to hear your story!

Danjee, Sydney

It seems like Mr TR will have to keep tradition every year now, as he has had Korean to celebrate his birthday for the past few years. This year we all dined at Danjee, hidden in a little laneway behind the Albion hotel.

Upon walking in, you see the open kitchen on the right. Once stepping into the dinning area we were all in a moment of, this is upper market Korean. It sure felt a little different, but it was nice surprise for us all.

We sit and are greeted with a small plate of hard seaweed, with sprinkles of salt. The crunch is like eating a cracker, and the taste offered a sweet and salty touch. It was interesting, but it sure tasted nicer with the light soya sauce on the side.

Have mul jap chae (potato noodles) $15

The japchae was mixed well with the distinctive sweet soya sauce, there are a vast amount of vegies running through. The potato noodles are cooked to the way I like it, which isn’t too soft but still holds a little “rubber band” like bite.

Yuk hwae (raw beef, cucumber, nacho, soy dressing) $20

Raw beef! Mix, stir, mix, mix! Break that lovely egg!

There is a strong sesame oil taste running through yet it is so tasty that you would go in for seconds. But beware as there are also raw onions, so a pack of mint in your bag would be the way to go.

Have mul jeon (pan fried assorted seafoods) $18

The seafood pancake is not anything we are used to. We don’t get the big round flat pancake but individually cooked seafood with egg wrapped around. We get 3 of each, prawns, fish, and scallops.

Kimchi nok du jeon (pan fried kimchi, mung bean and pork, vegetables) $13

Just like the seafood pancake, the kimchi pancake is also not the ones we are used to. They come as small servings for one, and there are 3 in a serve. I fail to find the kimchi link, as it is not powerful at all. I do find one piece of cabbage in my piece.

Danjee chicken $35

But would you just look at that golden fried chicken! Like usual, there is never a time where we would pass on ordering just artery clogging chicken! Super crispy on the outside and juicy bites of chicken inside. I don’t believe fried chicken could ever be done wrong.

Yang nyeom gal bi (soy marinated beef short ribs) $24

Beef ribs, BONELESS beef ribs. The meat is cut off from the bone and into little strips. The beef is juicy and this disappears in minutes as we wouldn’t want the meat to over cook on the hot plate.

Sam gyup sal (pork belly $20)

Another meat we will never pass on, pork belly. However, I am not sure I would order this again, as I found the meat itself lacked a little pow on my palate and was dipping in sauces for taste.

Could we please have a massive bun to wrap around this and have a MASSIVE burger? The wait staff recommended this as we were hoping to order a side of bulgogi, It actually was surprisingly good, maybe because it did look a little on the ordinary side, we were surprised by the way the mince beef held a nice charcoal like flavour.

Have mul ddok bokki gi (spicy Korean rice cake stew with seafood - melted cheese) $35

Tteokbokki! I really love tteokbokki, but we rarely order it as it is really filling. But on this lovely night #yolo. The stringy cheese made our mouths water, the generous amount of seafood made us happy and the tteokbokki was everything we wanted, nice and chewy rice cakes. However, a word of warning, this is probably one of the most spiciest tteokbokki’s I have had so far. So for those that can’t take spice, beware!

I wouldn’t mind coming back to Danjee, there were some highlight dishes and perhaps some that I could miss. But I would never say no to that fried chicken for sure!

So, have you ever had a particular cuisine to celebrate one person’s birthday?

Hit: Fried chickn, beef ribs

Miss: Pork belly, pancakes

Danjee

1/7 Albion Place,

Sydney