Cronulla Beach, Sydney - What a Beaut Arvo

Guan an Bau Truong Restaurant in Canley Heights, Sydney

An offering of fresh cut chillies, already soaked in vinegar marinade, with dashes of chili paste sitting in oil (image above) was a refreshing introduction to a Vietnamese experience.

The critical test of a stir fry is to have the aroma, garnered from a sufficiently heated wok, bring up all the flavours of ingredients, garnishings and noodles blend into a melting moment for our palate sensations. Penang island fried rice noodles (char koay teow in the Hokkien dialect) offers one such opportunity. Vietnamese cooking utilises much of clear glass noodles, and often I have had them cold stir mixed with seafood, but not stir fried. A visit to Bau Truong in the small but organised suburb of Canley Heights in Sydney's south-west made a revelation to me - a rather tasty outcome of the right wok heat, rightly textured glass noodles and flavoured by bits of pork slices and prawns (image below).

The restaurant is open throughout the day and is located along the main strip in Canley Heights. It was a rather wet and miserable day outside weather-wise, so we felt welcome to its bright red coloured walls, busy staff movement and variety of the menu. There were the favourites of crispy chicken with tomato flavoured rice, rice paper rolls (chao tom), beef stock soup with rice noodles (Pho) and the quintessential goat meat curry. Two doors away is 246 Canley Heights Road with Hong Kong styled barbecued meats and further along the short road is Avoca wood fired pizza. So although one could easily stereotype this suburb as primarily Indo-Chinese, it does prove surprising, if we look closely enough.

Canley Heights is not as chock-a-block as one may encounter in adjoining Cabramatta, and I found the pavements clean like an Australian suburb usually is. We also took occasion to purchase a variety of fruits at Yung Le Market - persimmons, custard apples, pears and sweet mandarins - as well as stock up on char siew yoke ( red lined barbecues) and Chinese styled roast pork for the Wollongong kitchens.

Bau Truong is located at both 250 Canley Vale Road in Canley Heights and at 42 John Street in Cabramatta, both suburbs of the greater Sydney region.

SushiGoi at Coogee, Sydney

The Nishikigoi (goi fish) is a respected cultural symbol in Japan and most of east Asia of life, growth and plenty.

When Drew suggested having lunch at a restaurant with the namesake of the fish along Coogee Bay Road in Sydney's eastern suburbs, I was curious. It turned out to be a most satisfying experience for an easy afternoon - no fuss, smiling quick service, relaxed clients, fascinating decor (image above) - and I would return. This was a place so different from its competitors in Sydney's Chinatown and most of its so-called Asian suburbs.

The SushiGoi restaurant basically ran a train of food - the sushi kaiten concept - around a horseshoe layout - and apart from the main servings of bites rolling in front of you, you can also order sides from the menu and especially their udon. Amongst several things, we took in braised unagi; tuna and Tasmanian salmon with vinegar laden compacted rice; wagyu beef bites in marinade; crispy fried chicken Nippon-style; agedashi tofu (silky, melty and yet crispy all at the same time)and a lovely Italian-styled dessert, the mortal sin.

Families, couples, mates and more seemed to roll in with ease during lunch hour on a public holiday. The location is fantastic - we went for a lazy beverage time along Coogee Bay Road after paying our respects at the Dolphin Point Memorial Coogee victims of terrorism at Bali. The site moved me - so beautiful overlooking the surf and so touching, realising the young lives that had been cut short and so sad compared to some petty selfishness I have seen amongst some individuals I come across. Walking down some grassed slopes, we also came across a make shift shrine in honour of the apparition of the Virgin Mary. On the beach, I was impressed by how close the descending aircraft to Sydney Airport flew above the beach combers with such regularity.

The SushiGoi Restaurant is the heart of action at 230 Coogee Bay Rd, Coogee Beach NSW 2034.