FOOD REVIEW | Taste of Shanghai, World Square

In celebration of my sister's promotion the other week, we went to eat dumplings! Although, there's never really a need to have dumplings anyway haha. But since she didn't want to bother walking to New Shanghai in City Westfields, we opted for Taste of Shanghai (World Square 644 George St). World Square is very conveniently situated close to Town Hall Station so we could carry our fat stomachs back home very quickly haha. I've been here once before the pretty renovations and wasn't too wow-ed with the food but I think I like the food more this time around.

 We had to wait ~15 minutes for 3 people around 7pm on a Tuesday so that was all right. Priceline is really close by after all~ Although the renovations made the place more pretty, the seating arrangements were still relatively uncomfortable for some areas when people are shuffling around or with waiters bringing out food but it was overall fine, I've been to worse haha. Now for food!

Braised Pork Belly with Quail Eggs $24.80

Look at that ultra fatty piece on the top right!! Wow! Hahaha! Otherwise, I really liked this dish, the pork belly was very soft and tender. Melted in my mouth with a nice wholesome flavour. I thought the quail eggs were quite quirky too. It was hard to grab them with my chopsticks though! Haha. I'd say the price was a bit steep though, but it tasted good so doesn't matter too much~ Better than if it was expensive and didn't taste good lol!

Wonton in Red Chilli Oil (10 pcs) $10.80

Easily my favourite dish of the bunch! I don't think I've ever really tried something like this before. I really should venture out of the classic dumplings that I love lol. But this was really good! Not only was the taste very addictive with the chilli oil that was moderately spicy but the texture of the wonton skins were interestingly chewy but smooth. It was so fascinating lol! Definitely recommended!

Pan Fried Pork Buns (8 pcs) $10.80

Classic buns. Nothing special, nothing bad~ Overall flavour was good and I wouldn't mind ordering these here again since they were pretty juicy!

Xiao Long Bao (8 pcs) $10.80

I actually really liked the xiao long bao here. The skin was a bit thick but that was made up for with the taste and juiciness of the meat. I was quite surprised that the taste was so defined even through the thicker skin. Love it!

Pan Fried Pork Dumplings (8 pcs) $10.80

Leaving the dud for last! Wasn't very impressed with this one whether it be the skin or the taste. Taste was rather average but I think I just didn't really like that the skin wasn't very crunchy at all but mostly just hard. Could've been better.

Overall, considering the convenience of the location and relatively okay pricing for dumplings in the city, I probably would come by again, especially since I'm studying in the city and my sister's workplace is so close by. Probably would come just for those wontons <3 I'm craving them again already haha!

FOOD REVIEW | Mr Stonebowl/石锅先生, Burwood

I hadn't seen my friend in nearly half a year so we decided to meet up at Burwood for lunch the other day. I haven't been here for a while to try different restaurants so I was rather doubtful of how good this restaurant could possibly be even though my friend informed me that there's usually a 1-2 hour line waiting to get in for dinner at night. We visited at around 12:30-1 and had to wait around 15-20 mins to get in with 2 people at this Mr Stonebowl/石锅先生 (185c Burwood Road). Isn't the name adorable?! I love it! Haha!

It's only like a 10-15 minute walk from Burwood Station as well so it's really convenient to pop by there for lunch/dinner but do remember that there is usually a line. In addition, although it is probably cooler inside than the scorching heat outside, the air conditioning (if it has any) didn't really help because I was still sweating like crazy inside lol but a plum juice/酸梅湯 solves everything! Since the dish names are really vague in Chinese and English, I thought I'd put the name of both under the photos but they sound too cool to not put them there anyway haha. They seem to be quite secretive about their sauces in their dishes but that's understandable since it tastes amazing!! Service was average since they were so busy but they're very quick and efficient so I liked it. Food came really quickly as well.

虫草花原味炖肉排汤/ Pork Rib w/ Corn and Mushroom Soup ($4.80)

A bit blurry but this soup was sooo good! It tasted like real soup. Like, I know that sounds ridiculous but there are so many Asian places that serve those soups of the day that just taste bland and lack the time and ingredients into making them but this one, oh my gosh, I already fell in love with the first sip. Don't be creeped out by those tentacle looking things, they're apparently mushrooms haha, I tried it; tasted good haha. Definitely recommended if you miss the taste of your mother/father's soup. Definitely doesn't taste like they added water and although it is light in flavour, you can taste that they really brought out the taste of the ribs and mushrooms (and other secret ingredients!) into the soup really well. It doesn't taste heavy at all and is thus a perfect accompaniment with any meal. I shared this with my friend but you can easily devour this by yourself. Worth every penny!

老上海生煎包9pcs/ Pan Fried Pork Buns ($8.80)

I wasn't very fond of these buns here. The bun itself was quite soft and smooth with the hint of pan fried taste on the bottom but the filling was really average. The meat didn't taste very dense and seemed quite dry and overcooked. I wouldn't order this again. Especially since there are so many other dishes that sound interesting on the menu!

石锅法式牛尾/ Oxtail in Special Sauce ($15.80)

This dish was tasty but also quite average. Nothing special. It was also more bony than I would've liked since there wasn't that much meat but the sauce was good in that it wasn't overly sweet but was savoury. It tasted like they cooked this in their special sauce for quite a while in that you could really taste the flavour in the meat and seemed to have a combination of spices in order to make it smell so fragrant and droolworthy, The sauces in these dishes are definitely the main selling item.

魔鬼嫩滑鸡/Marinated Tender Chicken ($7.80)

This was my favourite dish of all! If it's unclear what it is and if you think it grosses you out because of the green sauce, don't be! This was quite possibly the most refreshing but great tasting and flavoursome cold chicken dish. The sauce does have that sort of wasabi freshness and sort of chilli sensation when you eat it but it is also very creamy and full of flavour. It has that light and tangy feel to it like those Thins chips hahaha. Nevertheless, the sauce is to die for and the chicken is super smooth and tasty combined with it and as you can see, there's plenty of sauce for the chicken to be fully drenched in it! Definitely a must try if you come here! I was so sceptical about this in the beginning because of the look of it but I'm so so glad that I tried it.

I'd definitely recommend coming here if you're okay with relatively comfortable seating. Probably best to come when the weather isn't too hot though haha. But yes, I would love to come again just because there were so many other dishes that looked so good that I wanted to try like this whole fish and other stonepots etc. If only I had another stomach..and probably another wallet haha. But yes, definitely one of the better Asian restaurants I've been to in Sydney and they speak Mandarin/English so don't be too intimidated if you visit!