The BullnBear Cafe, Bar and Restaurant - Wollongong CBD

Lunch on the run - the lentil burger.

Just a block away from the Hotel Illawarra, near the junction between Princes Highway and Victoria Street, the BullnBear opened only a few months ago and has been picking up the pace with customers.   To me, I love the practical pricing, the location, the staff and the two tiered levels of the site.  Not only open for breakfast and lunch, increasingly parties with small groups are being held there.  The walls remain rustic - perhaps there is a Spanish hint here?  They are within walking distance of the GPK shopping centre in Wollongong city centre and especially from the lane that leads to Sifters Espresso. 

More than coffee are the Spanish and Euro beers stocked at BullnBear. 

La Vizcianto - with smoked salmon that gives a special texture on the palate.

The few times I have been there the staff are kind enough to let the guests linger and enjoy the place, suggesting some items to further consider in a relaxing environment.  For quick stays, you can use one of the small tables in front of the bar or sit outside on the pavement.  The place is also worth strolling to.   The El Gordo, or Big Breakfast, is an excellent choice and Scott did enjoy this selection - somewhat modern Aussie with a twist, as you are provided with chorizo and spinach with the expected servings of bacon, sourdough, tomato, eggs, mushroom and avocado.  I enjoyed a total salad one late morning with Michael as we sat at a window side table.   I reckon there is wholesome food here, with choices for different palates and appetites.  The coffee complements the food - and I have a fav staff here who is always smiles even when busy, a rare gem!

Tapas evenings have commenced in August - this is a good development on the Wollongong foodie scene, which has limited choices for Euro small snacks like Greek and Spanish, unlike Surrey Hills in downtown Sydney or Brighton Le Sands at Botany Bay.  Snacks like these go well hand in hand with cocktails, alcohol and liquor.


The BullN Bear is located at 2A Victoria Street, Wollongong CBD.
Telephone 612 4231 4315
Opening hours are from early morning till late arvo everyday, with dinners only on Fridays and Saturdays.


 

MoChi Restaurant, Wollongong NSW

From 12 o'clock clockwise - the black Jiaozi, the barbecued pork bun, two types of Shuimai, the Har Gou and the Xiao Long Bao.

Opening week in July at MoChi was a flurry of activity and customer interest.  The owners, the Sheppards, already operate Caveau, a small French dining restaurant across the road and which the Sydney Morning Herald has consistently renewed its one Hat rating.  Occupying two shop lots, Mo Chi is spanking clean with neutral hues (Nest Emporium), friendly staff (ground and first point of contact) and with a spacious feel.  The bar is upfront so one can ponder on its offerings whilst waiting for a table.  There is an in-room divider blocking up the inner third of the place, perhaps catering for any private functions cordoned off from the main dining floor.

The lunch express came in a single bamboo basket, with a section of yum cha dishes, including some of Hong Kong's Four Heavenly Kings but excluding the steamed cakes.  The prawn and pork filled Har Gou with a whitish outside layer was good to the taste, but the Shuimai's two choices - one with sticky rice, more Indo Chinese than southern Chinese and another with rather dry minced pork and prawn - were disappointments.  The wanton skin selected to wrap the Shuimais were rather thick and so affected the delicacy of what should be a more refined prepared snack.  The barbecued pork bun was more passable in presentation, especially its fluffy steamed dough, but they can look to improving the marinade of the pork fillings.

The black coloured Jiaozi tasted flat even if it was an interesting attempt at it.  I did like the Xiao Long Bao (the Shanghai inspired steamed bun with soup inside).

In the brave new world of culinary adventure and frontiers, we have Koreans and Japanese celebrity chefs dabbling in fusion, especially with French cuisine.  At Mo Chi we have Australian background owners experienced in French cooking venturing on to southern Chinese dishes, utilising ethnic backroom teams. We also have people of south-east Asian backgrounds combining the best of ingredients from a tropical setting fused into so-called modern Australian cuisine.  Results can vary but the important things is the continuity of such interchanges in cooking styles, especially in clever use of local and overseas ingredients and coming out with a why not taste.

Mochi is located at 157 Keira Street, Wollongong city centre.
Open from Wednesdays to Sundays from noon for lunch and from 6pm for dinner.
Telephone: 612 4244 5811
Vehicle parking can be on side streets like Market or Victoria, or one can park at the shopping centre a block away.
The wine list is good and especially chosen to match the nuances of southern Chinese food.
Would I return? Perhaps from dinner, where I am told that the barramundi and crabs are worth trying.
I am eyeing as well the slow cooked duck leg with star anise, perhaps a real test of Chinese and French classic styles.

The Northern Explorer - Waikato Valley New Zealand

Bostons Espresso - Wollongong CBD

Anna had signalled to me how she and her other half and enjoyed this cafe on a weekend.  Tucked away on the ground floor of a modern building, it is spacious, has a few library shelf books and even alternative forms of seating for guests.   The staff are friendly.  Perhaps the menu and feel is Mediterranean in a modern Australian setting. I see feta, haloumi, yoghurt, aoili, dukkah, fennel, avocado and cheddar.  I see a range of customers, from the young to the elderly, not dominated by a set demographic.   Sited between the office crowds and a light industrial area, the cafe reaps the benefits.

My choice of pulled pork sandwich was rather wholesome and of a generous serve, especially in relation to the pricing.  I am looking forward to try the slow cooked lamb sandwich for AUD9.  There is another sandwich with smashed chat potatoes, cranberry sauce, egg and baby spinach. Down to earth, they also offer soups, salads and sides of grilled chicken or smoked salmon.

The coffee?  I only had a quick drop by and a rushed cuppa. It was good enough to want to come back at another opportune time.

The pulled pork roll for AUD 9 - July 2015.

The Bostons Espresso is located at the southern end of Wollongong CBD at 11-15 Aitchison Street, within walking distance from the main Wollongong Rail Station.
Telephone: 612 4227 5527
Opening hours:  Open every week day from 7am to 4pm and from 8am to 3pm on Saturdays.
Ambiance:  Relaxing, value pricing.

Chatkazz Vegetarian - Harris Park NSW

Pretty and yummy - the Dahi Puri.  Sweet tamarind and spicy green chutneys garnish the popular Maharashtra hard and puffy shells with chickpeas and potatoes, found easily in chaat stalls in Mumbai.
 Photo Credit - Mr. Edwin Chee

When John from Eastwood suggested going to Chatkazz, I was fascinated with the feedback from his family, especially
from his children, one in university and another in high school.  I understand Chatkazz cuisine is one of their family favourites, so the rest of us sat back and observed as the youngsters ordered the dishes for us.   Our table had a balance of grains, yoghurt, crunchy bites, dips, sweet, savoury and various textures.  What a spread for the ten of us!  Plenty of bottled water was provided for us throughout the meal.  We were given a table near what was interestingly marked as "Chilli Storage".  I also noted the breakfast options and a choice of Indo-Sino food dishes.

Chhole Bathura with chickpea curry dip.  Spicy, served with pickles and onions.

The menu is extensive but has a common theme - the principles of Jain, which emphasises on Sattvic, aimed to encompass the achievement of lightness, happiness and goodness.  Translated into table serving terms, we noticed an absence of ingredients that may cause putridness, lethargy and darkness to the body and the human emotions - items I take for granted like garlic and eggplants.   I asked another family waiting at the Chatkazz entrance for a table on an early Saturday evening if the Chatkazz menu is specific to a region of the Indian subcontinent, and the wife said it is eaten everywhere there - Gujarat, Karnataka, Delhi, Rajasthan and more.  So a sub-continent wide menu is made available in the heart of greater Sydney, thanks to the multiculturalism openness of the Australian government.

Dhoklas have mustard seeds sprinkled over them (photo below) together with coriander, curry leaves, and grated coconut - they are often eaten at breakfast time and are made from chickpea flour, yoghurt and baking soda. The resulting batter is seasoned with a pinch of turmeric, green chili paste (wonder of wonders!), lemon juice, sugar, salt, oil and a fruit lime green colouring before steaming.

Not rice cakes but well appreciated , the plate has been increasingly cleaned out -  Dhoklas that had been sliced for easier munching, served with mint sauces and more.

Yoghurt on a bread shell - sweet entree of  a Puri.

The food genre has many common elements with those in Iran, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Nepal.  I can see menu items from Chatkazz that are familiar to anyone with a Chinese Malaysian background - Parathas, Chaats, Samosas, Kulfis, Sambhars, Khormas and Bhajis.  Growing up in what was a mature multi-cultural environment does have its benefits.

I did find the onion Pakhora over whelming, it was over salty but still good as a stand by snack.  I loved the Puris best, in all forms, as they are petite, offers various sensations and you never know what you are going to bite into.  Puris are generally round wheat flour pieces deep fried with both savoury and sweet -  often Sabji potato curry and a strained yoghurt called Shrikhnad. 

My dining group that night did not delve into desserts much, as we were already full.

Saturday evening 7pm - and more to come!

We could have been dancing to so-called Bollywood music piped in between our dishes.  Sari was intently checking out the menu as she reckoned her son William would love trying out this place.  Perhaps our group stood out as being the only non-Indians that evening but each of us were comfortable with this - next time we may ask our Indian mates to come along.  My body's digestive system had a welcome experience that cold evening and I slept like an infant over night.

Doughnut like dessert.

To the initiated, many dishes are street food back in the Motherland but I was fascinated with each and every one of them.  Chaat refers to savoury food snacks served at street side food stalls all over India.

Throughout,  to me, it was how normally bland ingredients are harmonised with the use of selected spices, cheeses and herbs to lift the dish up all together - and also the level of attention paid in preparation and presentation to result in various textures on the palate.   Many of the dishes have to be eaten fast after being served, whilst others remain good and content having them cold.   The careful choice of spicy, plain or aromatic dips and gravies also play their part.  Servings are often easy bite sized.  Fluffed up snacks do lose their size if ignored for too long and the yoghurt can only taste as good as they have just been prepared.   There are so many plates spread across a family table I wonder how cleaning up is best done!

Photo credit - Mr. Edwin Chee

The presence of ingredients like potatoes and chickpeas can make for a more than wholesome meal, and each of the ten of us at our table felt more than adequate after the dinner.  I had usually such access to vegetarian food only on weekends day time (for example the Hindu temple canteen at Helensburgh just south of Sydney) - so it is a pleasure to have found this place.  Servings are also rather on the generous side.  My preferred dishes that evening tend toward aromatic, fluffy grains like the Pulav or Briyani and light crepes like the Masala Dosa.

The more familiar Masala Dosa, with a light and easy crepe skin and potato filling inside.
Photo Credit - Mr. Edwin Chee

It is important to bear in mind the Jain philosophy and practice behind such cuisine of lacto-vegetarianism - this is to minimise adding to the supply chain elements of violence (Himsa), so there are assured no eggs, milk, seafood and meats.  Such intent is to break the cycle of reincarnation for human beings, as Ahimsa or non-violence is an indispensable condition of achieving this spiritual liberation.  Buddhist precepts closely echo this mindset.   Purer forms of practice even avoid the consumption of rooted vegetables like potatoes, onions, brinjals, garlic and tubers.

Mango Lhassi in a milk bottle.  Photo Credit - Mr. Edwin Chee

Ambiance:  Buzzing with activity and diners, it gets really crowded the later on a weekend evening.
Families, with piped in music and a close sense of community.  It makes me forget I am even in Australia.
Staff engagement: Friendly and responsive.
Table bookings not provided for on weekends.
Would I return? A definite yes.  I am eyeing the Mumbai Roadside Special,  the Pani Puris, the Chai Ya coffee, Frankies, the veg pizzas and their version of fried ice cream.
I especially like the idea of "eating with a purpose" with this cuisine.


Chatkazz is located at Shop 4
14-20 Station Road East, Harris Park near the buzzing hub of Parramatta CBD.
Telephone 02 86770033 and 0433 688 501
Opening hours: Weekends from 9am to 10pm, Tuesdays to Fridays 10am to 10pm and Mondays 5pm to 10pm.
Harris Park can get real busy at certain times which may prove to be a challenge for easy vehicle parking but there is a rail station.  Chatkazz has its own vehicle parking compound but it can get not so easy to navigate out later in the evenings.