Woah baby. How epic does this Kimchi Burger ($15) look?! Badmanner Thymes Cafe (2/1 Horwood Place, Parramatta) has been open for a couple of months now but recently they have been opening on Saturdays and soon on Sundays! I’d seen this burger on the interwebs and that was enough for me to roll out of bed one Saturday and drag the boy along.

Hugged together by a sesame brioche bun, the 6 hours slow cooked pulled pork is melt in the mouth tender and ohh boy the homemade kimchi is spicy! Duh, kimchi is usually spicy but I just couldn’t stop eating it and eventually my mouth accepted the burning. That, or it lost all feeling and decided to give up on life. The citrus aioli on the cabbage was zingy and creamy and helped with the burning. I pulled out the crispy sweet potato chips to eat separately because they were brilliant and I wanted to make them last the entire meal.


The Eggs Benedict ($12) sure is a beauty! You have the choice of salmon or ham with the bene but I decide to go for the sautéed mushrooms, avocado and spinach instead.


RUNNY EGG YOLK SHOT! Badmanner Thymes Cafe uses free range eggs and they are deeeeelicious! The buttered sourdough bread was loaded with a mountain of mushrooms and a generous amount of avo but yeah, those eggs, man I love eggs!


On our second visit I was determined to get the Bulgogi Roll ($13) because I am a recent convert to the religion of wasabi and let me tell you, the wasabi aioli on this roll is just bloody awesome! The wholemeal roll had been lightly toasted so it was able to hold all the super juicy shavings of beef without getting soggy and the strips of pickled white radish, red onion and spinach help to cut the richness. And woo more crispy sweet potato chips! They weren’t a vivid orange but no worries they still tasted awesome, the world needs more sweet potato chips!


The Mexican Chilli Bean Baked Eggs ($16) looked pretty impressive but we weren’t too keen on the addition of smoked salmon and found the chilli to be a bit on the watery side. But we loved the medley of beans and ricotta and the eggs were gloriously molten and oozy and perfect to dip with the toasted sourdough.


We were seated directly opposite the pastry cabinet and just couldn’t resist ordering something to satisfy my sweet tooth…


The Cronuts Brewnuts ($4.50) are from Brewtown and while it’s great that us Westies get some cronut love, I do prefer eating them freshly made as they can get a bit soggy and oily.


I’m finding caffeine to be the cause of making me feel a lil psycho lately so have had to give the coffee and energy drinks a rest for a bit but Badmanner Thymes sources their beans from Tulip.Shi if you’re keen for the caffeine hit. We opt instead for fresh juices ($5), granny smith for me and orange and ginger for the boy.


Hooray for more brunch options in Parra!

I love a good burger. They just make me happy y’know? So with fellow burger lovers, we headed to GoodTime Burgers (500 Oxford St, Bondi Junction) because we’d heard about their famed Juicy Lucy burger. Located in The Eastern Hotel, GoodTime Burgers can also be accessed through Westfield Bondi Junction on Level 3 near Woolies. Now as Shan would say, IT’S TIME FOR A FAMILY PORTRAIT!


The place has a cool retro vibe with red and white striped diner booths, giant tvs and a pool table. I’m not sure if it’s any different at dinner but at lunch we ordered and paid at the bar which also had a pretty nice selection of beers on tap 😀


The Double Trouble ($15) is a winner, the double Wagyu beef patties are ridiculously juicy and I swoon at the melty layers of cheddar cheese. The creamy aioli and tangy tomato chutney are a happily married couple that parties hard with my tastebuds and the tomato and lettuce provide a bit of relief from the richness.


A bucket of Spiced Smoked Chicken Wings ($10) is tasty enough with tender innards but we’d been hoping it would be smothered in hot sauce and maybe accompanied with ranch dressing but nay, so the wings are a bit on the dry side.


The BBQ Pork Ribs ($26/half rack) arrives in all it’s saucy glory with meat so tender beneath our pointy sharp carnivorous teeth. I loved the sweet, burnished glaze on the ribs but my heart was stolen by the fat golden chips (hand cut and twice cooked the menu exclaims) which had the perfect crunch to fluffy insides ratio.


And the burger we had travelled across Sydney for: The Juicy Lucy ($15)! It sure looks innocent enough from the outside but a Juicy Lucy is known for the cheese being stuffed inside the patty so when the patty is grilled the cheese is all molten and glorious!


Ok not the prettiest sight but LOOK AT THE CHEESY OOZE! We were cutting the burger so we could all get a taste and WHOOSH gooey mozzarella and cheddar cheese just oozed out! Incredible? Yes! The buns were fluffy but sturdy enough to hold up to the juicy patty and inevitable river of cheese. This burger is one for all the cheese lovers out there!


Just in case we didn’t get our daily calcium requirement we also ordered the Mac and Cheese ($6). A layer of golden, buttery breadcrumbs blanketed the mac and cheese which was cheesy but just a tad on the floury side.


We were much too full to try the desserts, the Dark Chocolate Tart, Salted Caramel Flan and Baked NY Cheesecake are all only $6 but if you’re up for it there’s also the GoodTime Challenge- The Juggernaut Burger has 5 beef patties with pickles, onions, cheese, lettuce and tomato and weighs just over 1kg! You gotta finish this crazy beast in under 8mins to score a tshirt and your photo on the wall of fame haha anywhos GoodTime Burgers is def a winner!

I’ve been super keen to visit Flying Fish (Jones Bay Wharf, Lower Deck 
19-21 Pirrama Rd, Pyrmont) for quite some time now and the powers that be granted my wish when my next day off coincided with the parents wanting to have lunch somewhere that had a lot of seafood on the menu and with a waterfront view.


Normally my parents refuse to order sashimi at a restaurant since they live so close to the Sydney Fish Markets but luckily they were drawn to the Modern Sashimi Platter ($47). This was a beautifully presented platter and, happily for us, each dish had 3 slices so there was enough for us to share. There was: Yellowfin Tuna with chilli and lemongrass; Kingfish with yuzu pepper; Ocean Trout with moro miso; Snapper with red shiso vinegar; and Flathead with bitter orange, soy, shichimi pepper.

My fave of the bunch was the tuna – the lemongrass just really brought out the freshness and flavour of the tuna. Running a close second was the ocean trout, the miso topping was thick but surprisingly not salty giving the ocean trout a more buttery flavour.


The WA Marron ($34) was amazing, the marron was plump and juicy and we carefully portioned it out equally to ensure family tranquility. I absolutely loved the marron bisque and wanted it pumped directly into my veins. I usually hate fennel but caramelise it and I’m right as rain 😛


The Smoked Petuna Ocean Trout ($31) was a last minute addition and I was glad we ordered it for the ocean trout was buttery soft with a ridiculously tasty cucumber, apple and butter milk dressing.


The father unit loves toothfish which was why Flying Fish made it onto our hit list and the Glacier 51 Toothfish ($49) did not disappoint. The naturally sweet fish flaked at the touch of a fork and swipes of the Persillade sauce were punchy and bright with garlic and parsley.


The mothership ordered the King Prawn Curry ($46) and was the surprise winner of the day with a bounty of fresh prawns swimming in curry rich and fragrant with coconut, date and tamarind and the tomato and lime packed an acidic punch.


After tasting the brilliant curry I was a tad underwhelmed with the Blue Eye Travalla ($44), I mean the fish itself was fine and cooked perfectly but the flavours on this plate just didn’t hold a candle to that curry. But squee how cute is the presentation of the potato mash! There was also a caper, hazelnut and brown butter emulsion and I was rather fond of the charred grapes which were a burst of smoky sweetness.


We were all full but wanted something sweet to end the meal so we decided to share the Slow Cooked Banana ($18). Google tells me that the Dulcey ganache is made using Valrhona blond chocolate and while I liked the caramel-y flavour, I wasn’t too keen on the slightly bouncy texture of the squiggle. The brown butter powder and the peanut brittle ice cream were MIND BLOWING though and paired beautifully with the caramelised bananas.


The view from our table! There was a bit of construction happening on the wharf but with clear skies and near perfect dishes, lunch at Flying Fish was mighty fine. It is on the exxy side but definitely worth it for a special occasion and I’ll definitely be back to try the degustation menu!

MEEEEEEAT!!!


So dreams of a good ol american barbecue and drooling over Jamie’s pics led the boy and I to The Oxford Tavern (1 New Canterbury Road, Petersham) and followed the sweet sweet smells of smokey meats being cooked low and slow.


We made our way out back to the beer garden and queued up at the window near the meats. The barbecue is available only on the weekends from noon until sold out or there’s the normal menu of tacos, pizza, burgers etc that you gotta order from the bar.


The menu is on the wall opposite the meat land and everything is available by the 100g or by piece.


Point and choose time!


Brisket! Lamb ribs! Pulled Pork! 1/4 Smoked Chicken! Smoked Pork Snag! All the meats come with bonus side of buns and slaw. I asked for a bit of everything and paid about $55 for this meatalicious platter.


The Lamb Ribs ($6/100g), were my favourite of the lot- smokey, sweet and with meat falling off the bones made for finger licking happiness. The Smoked Pork Snag ($7) was also a winner, the blistered skin giving way to juicy and fatty innards with just a hint of spiciness.


Noods found the ribs too fatty and instead was enamoured with the 1/4 Smoked Chicken ($8) and Pulled Pork ($6/100g).


The Brisket ($8/100g) isn’t quite as melt in the mouth as Papi Chulo’s but is still tasty with an edge of caramelised fat. The pile of slaw is surprisingly addictive and provides acidic relief from the onslaught of meat.


We smashed our platter and also got the mega Dino Rib ($8/100g) that was tender and also the Burnt End Beans ($6) which was all kinds of soul comforting for the tail end of winter. I found the buns a tad on the dry side so ended up dunking into the beans which made everything right as rain.


Hot Sauce. For someone who fails badly in the spice-o-meter, I was scared to try the hot sauce. Buuuut I am a sucker for pain so gave them a go and was pleasantly surprised that while both were spicy, they had a good tangy burn. I loved that each table had a roll of paper towels haha the ‘cue at The Oxford Tav is all about digging in, enjoying the meats and not worrying about getting your hands dirty!