Chopsticks x B.R.A.D collaboration: Hello Kitty Diner - Chatswood, NSW

To the Mrs: by the time you read this, I should be officially standing next to you as your husband by that point in time. Theoretically then, it should be safe for me to post this to you without spoiling anything. Firstly, I'll have to apologise to you as I've gone and tried something without you again...but not without good reason this time. The B.R.A.D crew and I had dance practice and so, they invited me to dine with them at Hello Kitty Diner prior to going to practice...you can't be mad at me for that (smiley face).

I met up with the boys of B.R.A.D right after I finished work where I took the train from North Sydney to Chatswood and immediately bolted up to the diner to meet with them. They'd already ordered some "snacks" to start but once I arrived, we quickly proceeded to order the dishes we all wanted to eat. I found my experience at Hello Kitty diner to be...very reminiscent of when I used to watch Hello Kitty cartoons with my younger sister. She'd always demand to watch the Hello Kitty VHS we had so I'd begrudgingly watch it with her...but secretly, I did like watching it too. The titular mascot is sprawled almost everywhere in the diner making this Sanrio theme restaurant rather endearingly cute.

We'd all ordered an assortment of food items but the first of my orders to come was the fried chicken and waffles. A doughy waffle sits neatly on top of a few nuggets of crispy, southern fried chicken. A drizzle of syrup then glazes both items to complete the package. I'd say that I enjoyed the chicken much more than I did the waffle though as to me, the waffle didn't add to my experience but the chicken was spiced really well and came out rather juicy.

B ordered some sweet potato fries which came with a miso flavoured dipping sauce. He was very much confused by this mixture of flavours as the sweet potato fries would have been too heavy and starchy alone but the dipping sauce was also not too enjoyable to his palate. I on the other hand, very much enjoyed the sauce...the nuttiness from the miso really helped to cut through the starch of the fries. The boys seemed to enjoy the standard fries much more than they did the sweet potato fries.

Shortly after we'd finished the fries and chicken, our burgers arrived at our table. B ordered what I believe to be the crispy pork belly burger: pork belly with slaw, maple bacon and apple. From what I could tell of his facial expressions, I am led to believe that he didn't really enjoy his burger all too much. Although Chur Burger designed the menu and were consulted on the food, I feel as though the offerings at Hello Kitty diner don't really compare that well to the real thing. 

I had ordered the ebi (prawn) burger but as my one arrived, I was informed that they'd run out of milk buns and had to use the other, harder buns...bummer. The flavour of the bun was good however I don't necessarily think it matched my idea of what an ebi burger should be. From my experience, ebi burgers normally contain a patty of chopped prawns fried in a 'katsu' or croquette....this contained separate pieces of fried prawn which made the experience of eating it slightly harder. It also meant the crunch factor was less prominent as you don't have the crispy outer shell of panko to bite down on.

I'd say that if given the choice, I would personally return to Hello Kitty diner...but only under the provision that I'm going with someone who's never been. But for a place like this, I really don't think you really go for the food, food is but an afterthought. Instead, I believe the charm lies in the nostalgic feelings that are conjured when you're surrounded by this immensely popular icon of modern culture.

The Tuckshop + Jack's Newtown - Glenhaven & Newtown, NSW

Compared to my Saturday, my Sunday was far busier than I could have ever anticipated. As with our annual tradition, the Mrs and I headed to Glenhaven to attend the yearly Christmas get together with her girls. This year though, rather than cook ourselves, we simply decided to head to The Tuckshop for a quick breakfast/brunch. It just seems so much more logical since within the last year, four members of our little group became parents (yes, we're old now).

Since our last visit it's been awhile since we last visited Tuckshop and the menu's changed a bit...not complaining since most of the menu items were right up our alley in terms of flavor profiles. I ordered the cold drip for myself and a large skim latte for the Mrs (it was particularly early) while we waiting for everyone to arrive. It was a little scary at first since we got an outside table and I was rather worried the weather wouldn't hold up since I felt a couple of sprinkles but luckily, it didn't rain at all!...it just maintained a steady, sticky humidity.

Our friends slowly started arriving and as everyone got settled, we went up and ordered our food. The Mrs and I decided to share a beef brisket burrito and a southern fried chicken burger.

To be honest, after tasting the burrito, I was somewhat disappointed with the beef brisket. The last time we came to Tuckshop, we had a beef brisket roll that was not only fatty but tender and moist. The brisket in this burrito was bland tasting and didn't even compare to the last brisket dish we had here. There wasn't any defining or outstanding features as the salsa was just rather mediocre...the flavours just didn't meld very well. 

In comparison, The Mrs' burger was much better. A well spiced and crunchy southern fried chicken fillet wedged between a pillowy burger bun served with the usual salad options. The fries were also quite delicious as they had a nice crunch to it and were seasoned well. 

Although we didn't get to try anyone else's food (we don't get to share food...sad face), our generous friends still allowed us to take many happy snaps of their various items!

Breakfast Smoothie

Tuckshop Breaky Box

Group shot!

Croque Madame?? I expected it to be more indulgent.

Breakfast Taco

Soft Shell Crab burger

I always look forward to any opportunity we get to see the Mrs' friends. Times change and everyone gets busier and more stressed but year on year, we've continued to form a bond more akin to family than friends. That is something that will never change or fade and with each new addition (whether they be newborns or boyfriends) I'm thankful that we have the opportunity to grow closer and closer.

But that's not the end of my day...For the last week and a half, the Mrs and I have been racking our heads over a particular matter. You see, we recently purchased a rather oversized television...and I drive a Corolla hatchback. Immediately, you can see that equation doesn't really work out. So for fear of my safety and wellbeing, the TV has been sitting in the garage at the Mrs parents place for a while now. Just when we were out of ideas on what to do, the B.R.A.D crew (minus the D this time) offered to help ferry the TV back to the apartment! Happy days! Conveniently, I'd also been task with going to Annandale to pick up our pre-wedding canvas from our photographers...and what's next to Annandale? Newtown! And what's at Newtown? Jack's!...perfectly sensible logic right?

The Mrs needed to stay at home to do work so I extended the invitation to the B.R.A as thanks for driving the TV to the apartment (not gonna lie...I had a vested interest in this trip). Being located right on the corner of Missenden road and Princes Hwy/Kings St, Parking can be little hard to find but I am notoriously lucky when it comes to finding street parking so I got parking right outside the restaurant with no issue.

Fitted out like any hip and trendy diner, they definitely do take a less-is-more approach. The tables are walls aren't overcrowded with random graffiti and everything is clean and crisp looking. This really makes the massive neon burger standout as the defining feature of the room. Word of advice: if you don't like being in a hot, enclosed environment, I'd suggest visiting at nighttime when the temperature cools down. I don't think they have air-conditioning yet and the open kitchen really makes it feel warmer than it needs to be.

The burgers tend to come in waves but when they do arrive, they arrive one after another in quick succession. The boys and I got our food within 7-10 minutes of ordering which in my opinion, is actually really quick. We did go mid afternoon on a Sunday so that might have contributed to the quicker service times but as you can see above, still packed with hungry burger lovers.

At Jack's, they only have two burgers to select from: the cheeseburger (bacon optional) and the vegetarian burger. You can then go on to make small adjustments to your meal like doubling the meat or ordering some (super crunchy and potatoey) crinkle cut fries and/or a soda. We're actually really lucky in that right now, the Sydney burger scene is full of great burger contenders. What this means is that if you've eaten enough burgers (and I have) you can really see the strong and weak points of this burger. For me, Jack's definitely ranks as one of the top burgers in Sydney (4th...1st being Mistergees, 2nd: Mary's 3rd: Five Points)..what's noticeable with this burger is how chewy and doughy the bun is. Soft and pliable yet texturally magnificent, the bread is definitely a highpoint of the burger.

I wasn't originally supposed to get bacon with my burger but having accidentally taken someone else's burger, we decided to stick with it anyway. The bacon really adds some depth to the flavor of the burger as it gives it a really nice smoky, porcine richness that you'd miss out on with the standard offering. Now, where Jack's can improve....I have a preference of having my patty pink in the middle...which mine wasn't but that wasn't too major an issue. You still get a grisly, beefy mouthful when you bite into it so no harm done. The outside of the patty though could benefit from a little bit more maillard reaction. I found myself looking for more little pockets of crispy exterior only to be left mildly unsatisfied. Finally, the sauce was delicious but at times, reminded me of big mac sauce...no idea if that was intentional or not but, if it could exceed the level of deliciousness and decadence that is big mac sauce...that'd make a heavenly burger.

A's burger...drowned in sauce...with extra sauce.

Although a spectacularly busy day, I don't regret any part of it since I got to hang out with group after group of lovely, fun people doing the thing I love most....eating. Things will steadily become busier and busier over the next month so please stay tuned! I'll try and blog as much as I can!

Me enjoying my Matcha Softcream from Zuzuzu while the B.R.A walk ahead.