Taiwanese part 1

For some strange reason, all I've been eating are Taiwanese foods... I think its my taste-bud's message telling me that I miss Taiwan - and the food there.

Taiwanese foods are mostly, heavily flavoured with spices/salt and/or deep fried oily goodness. It is not a very healthy choice, but - oh so good - when enjoyed once in a while!

There are 2 places in the city that I often visit. One being so close to uni/work and the other one in the heart of Chinatown. These places serve up 'street' foods that you would normally get for under AUD$3 equivalent in Taiwan and although they are not really authentic (slightly modified to adapt to local - Australian tastes) they are extremely appetizing.

Sunflower - 147 Broadway, Ultimo, NSW 2007. (02) 9211 5298

Loyal to the name - cute decoration

I remember being introduced to this place when I first attended Sydney uni 4 years ago and upon joining TSA (Taiwanese Student Association) - a bunch of us first years jigged a lecture - an exhilarating experience for me as I have NEVER been absent for class my whole life - we trekked down to this little Sunflower Crepe Cafe.

After finishing our lunch, we forgot - seriously! - to pay and left. Oh, life's little stain! While we were walking and talking, the owner runs up behind us and nicely (I think) told us that we haven't paid!!! I don't think I went back to Sunflower for over 2 months hoping the owner would forget our faces. Now they have implemented the system where you order and pay before being served...

Awesome modern art 

But ever since I've been visiting this place when ever I'm in close proximity - not just out of guilt, but mostly for the food. When K and I visit, we normally just go straight to the counter to order. Me having tried most of the dishes/crepes they have on offer stick with my regular crispy chicken rice with lemon tea and for the two of us, a red note ($20) would be just enough to fill our extremely empty stomachs. The portions are large and filling, the food is fantastic and I love a bargain =]

Pork mince rice

This time however, we chose to order 3 dishes as we are more hungry than usual (me: no breakfast/lunch and worked 5 hours standing and talking to customers, K: no lunch and contracting pipetting hand syndrome in his lab) - how that is possible is beyond my capacity to explain! 

The pork mince rice is just like its description + other little side dishes which I appreciate as they kind of balance the meal on the food pyramid. The mince is soft (thanks to the fatty bits), flavoursome with onion and pepper and lovely to eat. We ate the mince with the large amount of rice packed in at the bottom. The spicy potato stands (at the far end) are excellent and slightly crunchy. The cooked cabbage are a permanent side to every rice dish on offer and there is a reason why - they are there to balance the meal and are perfectly cooked and flavoured. 

Curry crispy chicken rice

K chooses the variation to my beloved crispy chicken rice - with curry. As you can see here, the thin pieces of chicken are deep fried to perfection, golden brown! Look at the size! It's spilling out of the dinner plate!

Pan fried dumplings

For our 3rd dish (what were we thinking) we ordered the pan fried dumplings, 10 flat but juicy dumplings filled us a little too much! The bill + 2 ice teas = <$30... well the amount of food there would feed 3 people with no problem!