Instafoodies Event - Glebe, NSW

We're back! Back again! And this is true in more ways than one! It really has been more than a while since our last blog post and there's very good reasons for that: unfortunately, our computer needed to be re-formatted. With the recent release of Overwatch, my old tower wasn't capable of running the game so I had to spend weeks figuring out how to update my computer to the point where I could play the game. No regrets though since it's been heaps of fun playing online with my friends and in the heat of the new game, I've completely forgotten to write anything about our recent adventures!

So we're back on the blog again! and this time, we find ourselves back at Hem Nine Nine! See, we had such a blast at Hem Nine Nine last time that when we got an invite to come back and attend an instafoodies event (organised by Robbie from it'd be rude not to), we knew we just had to come back. On the day, there were no markets on so parking was a bit easier to find than the first time we went. As we walked in, Robbie was there to greet us and it was so great to finally see him in person. The magic of social media is that you will get to know people rather intimately without ever having met them at all. I'd followed Robbie on Instagram for some time now but the event was the first time I'd actually met him. This becomes this sort of reoccurring theme throughout the event as I come to see a lot of people I follow of Instagram as well.

So as the place quickly starts filling up again, we found ourselves back on the table we sat at the last time. Since there were so many invitees and space was becomes scarce, we were seated with other instagramers and attendees (who we quickly got acquainted with...nice to meet you Erika, Mandy, Vee, Susan, Lily). As we get to know each other, the food starts rolling in dish by dish (which at that point was really exciting since we were starving!). Better still, we were presented with dishes that we didn't get to try last time! (we're only two stomachs...couldn't order that much even if we wanted to). Now, we were given a LOT to eat (we were SO full by the end of it) so I can't go into too much detail about each but I will give you a good run down of each dish (further descriptions can be found on our Instagram):

1. The duck rice paper rolls. Tasted like peking duck but with a little Vietnamese influence. I liked the addition of pickles!

2. Fish balls! you would not believe how happy I was when this arrived at the table. So reminiscent of my childhood trips to the home town of Hong Kong. Spicy, springy and delicious!

3. Wagyu Bo Luc Lac skewers. I mean, I love Bo Luc Lac (shaking beef) already but to make it with Wagyu and then put it on skewers? Ingenious! Super tender cubes of beef, char-grilled and served with sweet capsicum and slaw on the side.

4. Ox tongue: very tasty and savoury sauce that glazes these slices of tender ox tongue. A good squeeze of citrus really helped cut through the rich, beefy flavour and sauce.

5. A platter of soft, toasted bread rolls serverd with roasted bone marrow, chopped fresh chilli and pickled onions. Sort of like a...decadent and buttery do-it-yourself sandwich. Very delicious.

6. The grilled lemongrass pork skeweres we had last time. Still just as good! Still just as flavoursome and fatty.

7. Pork belly Baos. I believe these are also served on their "Mama Linhs" food truck and whilst the serving of pork belly in a Chinese bun is nothign new, Hem Nine Nine's rendition really stands out from the rest in that they pack in the sauce and the pickles that come with it are fantastic.

 

8. Crispy skin chicken! I mean, how can you not love this perennial Vietnamese favourite? Very crunchy deep fried skin that sits on top of the juicy chicken meat. It's really great how they chopped it all up and it had no bones in it at all so it makes for a great drinking snack.

9. Bo Kho...I can never pronounce it right whenever I try to order this at a Vietnamese restaurant but I love it all the same. Less sweet than most other versions I've had out there but definitely packing in the rich, meaty flavour. Love the addition of other cuts of beef and the general omission of the tendon (not a big fan of tendon).

10. By this point, I was well and truly stuffed...could not imagine handling more food. Then someone mentioned that the last dish was gonna be Pho...I almost freaked out! Luckily, it was Pho but not as we knew it. What we got was the Pho Banh Mi which was this bread roll stuffed with tender, fall apart beef that's been cooked in Pho spices and then served with generous amounts of sriracha mayo and other veges you typically find with pho. Very ingenious way of modernising one of my favourite noodle dishes.

Finally, after all the food that we gorged on, Robbie comes out to address the crowd. Kudos to Robbie for organising such a successful event! Additionally, for dessert, we got treated to a slice of the amazing cake from Desserts with Lynda! I've been a massive, MASSIVE fan of hers for a while and it turns out that she reads our blog too! Such a wonderful delight to know that someone you follow on Insta reads your content as well and it was amazing having met her...such a humble person for the amount of success she's accumulated in such a short time.

The cake was super moist and I loved the addition of the pandan cream! Would 10/10 love to eat something like this again! Overall, the Mrs and I had a blast attending this event. If I haven't said this before, I'll say this now: Hem Nine Nine serve up a fine Vietnamese fiest I'm honoured and glad to have been able to dine there twice already. I'm certain that things will only get better for them from now on and I do recommend giving them a try when you can! Thank you to Mama Linh, Chef Peter, Hem Nine Nine for the wonderful food and hospitality and thank you for inviting us to celebrate the birthday of the food truck! A special thank you to Robbie for organising as well!

Mama's Buoi - Surry Hills

As winter comes into full swing, we find ourselves at the end of another school term. What this normally entails is a fun filled celebration with the Mrs and her education posse. Last week was no exception as we all got into our 'end-of-term' best and headed out to the Sydney foodie's mecca, Surry Hills. One of the Mrs workmates had suggested we check out Mama's Buoi (which was a very welcome suggestion, always up for some Vietnamese food).

What I neglected to remember was that it was Friday....at one of the most popular restaurants in Surry Hills. As soon as I had parked my car, I headed over early to the already packed out destination and tried my luck. My request for a 6 person table was answered with a playful laugh from the maitre d' which pretty much answered my question, but our story didn't end here as the same party member who made the suggestion had recently enjoyed a lovely 40 pax function there (and she says that's what got us the table)...score!

After being seated at one of the open air tables in the back which really wasn't that cold at all despite what we were warned about. We were promptly served by a delightful service staff member (who we later learned ran the place!). She even offered to get our orders out quicker which was a lovely gesture. I can honestly say I haven't had service nearly as good as at Mama's Buoi. Our drinks came first and then not long after, our food. Our night was off to a spectacular start.

For drinks, the Mrs and I decided to be fancy and order cocktails. I chose to have the Lychee and Watermelon Martini and the I chose the 'A Day in Ha Long Bay' for the Mrs. The Martini was refreshingly sweet yet didn't smother the taste of the alcohol but instead made it a much easier drink to sip and enjoy. I have to admit that on this occasion, I chose the better drink for the Mrs (...as I had intended). The Ha Long Bay had ample tartness from the green mango and lime which was complemented rather well by the green apple liqueur and from memory, a slight fizz that drew out the drink. The Mrs and I were thoroughly impressed with our drinks.

Our friend had ordered Thit Ko which was a pot/bowl of caramelised pork belly and eggs braised in a coconut juice. I unfortunately couldn't bring myself to ask if I could try any (the Mrs and I ordered a lot of food) but couldn't stop myself from staring at it as he ate it. The layered and fatty cubes of pork belly sat in a gravy-like sauce which I could only assume would have been heavenly what with it's abundant amount of aromatics floating around.

The Mrs ordered a Mixed Skewer platter which came with three skewers of beef, pork and chicken. This was also served with lettuce cups, pickles and a dark, savoury sauce called Nuoc Mam. The beef wasn't my personal favorite and judging by which skewers were left till the end, it wasn't the Mrs favourite either. It was tender but lacking in a bit of fat which meant it wasn't really that charred and didn't have a potent flavour of beef. The pork was better though with it's fatty bits of soft meat and delicious lemongrass marinade. The best was definitely the chicken which was grilled to a perfect char on the outside. The meat was delicately sweet and juicy which accentuated the whole dish. I was a really big fan of the sauce (big flavour hit of liver pate in it) but as the Mrs doesn't like liver, she opted to avoid the sauce.

I ordered the Pho (as I typically would...noodles anytime, anyday) and I'll be honest, I wasn't expecting much from the Pho but the broth was really aromatic which was a delightful surprise! The Mrs also enjoyed the thickness and the snap of the rice noodles. I would have preferred to have the broth hotter in temperature but overall, it was a decent package. For the price they charge and relative to the size of the bowl, a regular Pho connoisseur might be a little disappointed but take it as an interpretation of the Vietnamese classic and you'll be able to take it for what it is...a great bowl of noodles.

As a side, the Mrs and I also ordered the pork spring rolls which I have to say, were absolutely delicious. The wrapper/skin almost had a dumpling-like consistency with it's springy and chewy texture. This is probably due to the conscious choice of using rice paper is the spring rolls wrapper. This really helped in contrasting the crunch from the fried exterior and also helped to bring out the savouriness of the pork and fillings. 

I won't really go into the details of the rest of the night because frankly, it was just a great night out. But it wouldn't nearly have been as good if we didn't start it off with the delicious culinary delights we were able to have at Mama's Buoi. Absolutely brilliant service paired with amazing food and home-style Vietnamese food done really well makes Mama's Buoi a MUST return destination.