Tequila’s on Main, Rouse Hill

Blogging on three hours of sleep – had an exam today :(. Still have a major backlog of blog entries so not posting in any kind of chronological order.

So the occasion was my sister’s 22nd, and the food was Mexican (coincidentally the same restaurant we came for either my eighteenth or nineteenth birthday).

 

Tequila’s on Main!

How cute is that little ..grub, thing, wearing a sombrero?

Not sure if Mexican restaurants always gives you gargantuan servings, but last time we had large portions of everything, so only ordered one ‘entree’ this time round.

 

Curly Chips – $6.50
The potato tasted fresh and crispy, just like Hog’s Breath Cafe fries, with salt and pepper shakers on the table so you can add as much or as little condiments as you like.

 

Tostada Compuesta – $22.50
Like two Aztec Pyramids, a crisp whole corn tortilla, one with beans and chicken, the other with beans and beef on a mound of lettuce, diced tomato, shredded cheese and a dollop of guacamole and salsa

This was under the ‘Specials’ section of the meal, and is literally IMPOSSIBLE to pick up and eat – you don’t even know where to begin!

The tortilla is also impossible to find because it’s covered by a mountain of toppings .. which they are clearly verrrry generous with (see if you can spot the tortilla).
Chicken (on the left) had a good flavour but the texture was a little stringy, and the beef (on the right) was like mince. I liked the chicken better, just because there were onions on the beef side, which cleared out my nostrils …and I don’t really like onions, either!
Also, the servings are huge! It doesn’t make you stuffed (or it didn’t make me stuffed, haha – but then I eat quite a bit), but for the price, the servings are unexpectedly large. Photos don’t really do it justice, but if you come here and you’re partial to leaving food on your plate, it’s suggested you share with a friend – because I’m betting the both of you might only just be able to finish it. ;)

 

Closeup of the beef  and beans ‘tortilla’

Looks like a messy lump of ..tomato, lettuce, and cheese on beef. Haha

 

 

Half an hour later and my sister’s plate still looked untouched. Succch a look of pain on her face! She didn’t end up finishing hers :(

 

Mango Delight – $24.95
Char grilled whole chicken breast damped in black peppercorns and covered in mango sauce.

Tried the mango sauce, which was a little watery with a mango-y aftertaste – peppercorns weren’t peppery at all (which in my opinion, is a fabulous thing – unless, of course, you’re a pepper fanatic). Chicken was pretty chunky, and noo idea about the rice.

 

Rump – $27.50
All steaks are served with creamed potatoes and fresh garden salad

For less than $30, I’d say this is pretty cheap. You also get your choice of either pepper, dianne, mushroom or adobo sauce.

 

Not only is Tequila’s on Main a very aesthetically pleasing place, but they don’t skimp on the serving sizes either! There’s a dedicated bar where you can wait it out if the lines are long, and they have a somewhat extensive selection of cocktails on offer. 

The staff are also friendly and helpful, and I can imagine people coming here for the service and serving quantities rather than the quality of the food. Food wasn’t drop dead amazing, but worth a try if you’re hungry and in the area.

 

Tequila’s on Main (visited 28/10/09)
Shop GR082 Main Street
Rouse Hill Town Centre
Rouse Hill 2155
Tel: (02) 9629 5055
Fax: (02) 9629 5355
http://www.tequilasonmain.com.au

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Khao Thai, Haymarket

My first experience with mi goreng was when a certain acquaintance of mine cooked it at a friend’s birthday, and let me tell you – it. was. terrible. Out of loyalty, I tried to eat the dish, until the cook himself tried it and proclaimed, “Why are you poisoning yourself!? Stop eating this!”
I swore off mi goreng for the next two years …until a road trip down south earlier this year reignited my love for the noodle.

Despite the universal love for instant mi goreng, I know a lot of friends (and by friends, I mean ‘Asians’) who have NEVER bought mi goreng at a restaurant. Why?
Probably something to do with the fact that you can have your own tasty mi goreng for 79c and some hot water, so why bother paying $10+ for the same thing when you’re eating out?

But as you know, curiosity always kills the cat (or the waist line, in my case), and after bypassing mi goreng in favour of laksa at Temasek, we decided to order it this time round.

 

Mee go reng – $9.80
stir fried Hokkien noodles with soy sauce, curry powder, egg and vegetables

Let me just say now that comparing instant “mi goreng” to restaurant style “mee go reng” is like comparing a walrus to a turtle.
COMPLETELY INCOMPARABLE. Not only do they use noodles from different sides of the universe, Khao Thai’s mee go reng was neglecting the chilli and spice you come to expect of insta-noodle.

Not to say that this wasn’t passable – the chicken was sweet, and although the broccoli, capsicum & carrots were standard and Helen deemed it salty, it was still nice …but I’d still prefer mi goreng.

If you’re looking for Malaysian fried noodle, then HIT the dish (if we’re talking about ‘hit-or-miss’, haha) ! But if you were weaned on 2 minute mi goreng and looking to satisfy THAT craving ONLY, then this dish would be a miss. But naturally, that makes sense, since “mi goreng” means “fried noodle”, and instant mi goreng is …anything, but fried.

 

Som tum – $9.80
Green papaya salad
peanuts, chilli, garlic, lime juice, sugar and soy sauce

“Hey, there’s this other Thai place nearby .. it’s called Moo Cow or something, the one with tom yum lunch specials! Maybe they sell papaya salad..”

Khao Thai and Satang Thai are both a stone’s throw from UTS library, but the latter doesn’t serve papaya salad! :(

Nevertheless, the one we found was tasty! ..in small quantities only. Although I’d still prefer eating the scent of The Body Shop’s papaya lotion, this salad was deliciously crunchy – but an overdose of fruit in a salad makes you extreeemely full, and will probably kill your palate for anything else :(.

The crunchy strips of papaya were juicy, and the peanuts sprinkled on top provided an interesting texture. The menu said that the dish had lime juice and sugar – the former of which you could taste, and the sugar didn’t make the salad overly sweet at all. Definitely worth getting to share as an entree.

 

 

Black sticky rice with custard- $3.50

For $3.50, this dessert is an absolute steal! It’s actually advertised on a piece of paper plastered on the wall, and it was fate that we saw it :D. Although it was advertised as ‘black sticky rice with custard’, the rice was more reminiscent of red bean, and the ‘custard’ was like a gloppy version of Chinese steamed sponge cake covered with condensed milk. To be honest, I’m not a real fan of either, but put it together and this dessert is heaven :D Or maybe it’s because of the super cheap price tag…

 

My deepest apologies for the dodgy photos – was using my old old phone camera ‘cos I had nothing else! :(

 

Khao Thai (visited 08/10/09)
Shop 10
37 Ultimo Rd
Haymarket, 2000
Tel: 9212 1080

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World’s Funniest Island, Crave Sydney

Another event on the agenda for Crave Sydney is the World’s Funniest Island – a two day comedy festival on Cockatoo Island on the 17th & 18th October, 2009.  The line up includes big names such as Merrick and Rosso, Tripod, and Arj Barker, but you can see the names for yourself on the website.

I happen to have a DOUBLE PASS up for grabs (worth $239.80) for this Saturday, 17th October, 2009 – I won it, but unfortunately I’m not free to go anywayy. If any of you are interested in taking it, drop a comment on this post and I’ll randomly email one of you the tickets by Friday afternoon (i.e. TOMORROW!) :) ..just make sure you put your real email in the ’email’ box so I don’t email the wrong person! :)

Will blog soooon (hehee Swissotel JPB Restaurant Swiss Fondue Chinoise!!)

Also, night noodle markets opened this Monday night ! Goooooooo, everybody!!

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Ribs and Rumps, North Ryde

IT’S OCTOBER, EVERYONE ! :) And you know what that means – Crave Sydney (formerly known as Good Food Month) has begun ! Sydney’s international food festival includes the night noodle markets, outdoor  art exhibitions, the Darling Harbour fiesta (Latin American dance festival), the comedy festival, island hopping, seven bridges walk, and BREAKFAST ON THE BRIDGE.

Not to mention the coveted Enliven Your Senses deals (think buy 1 get 1 free deals at Wolfie’s Grill, Golden Century, Kobe Jones, Din Tai Fung, The Corn Exchange, Ice Cube Seafood Grill …the list is endless!) has been extended by Pulse until 31 October to their members, this time also including buy 1 get 1 free Avenue Q and Dendy cinema tickets and much, much more :)

I’ve had my Pulse card since I was in Year 8 – I think because I spent $20 at Diva – so I don’t exactly remember how to become a member :( ..but if you check out the website you should be able to find out how !

 

—

 

ANYWAYS ……. :)

I was never a fan of meat, and if not for my mum’s force feeding habits when I was younger, I’d probably be a vegetarian today (I’d also have a really tiny appetite and never finish my plate).
So when one of my friends mentioned Ribs and Rumps, a “new” steakhouse that had opened just five minutes away from Macquarie Centre, I wasn’t exactly thrilled to be trying it out.

 

As it turned out, Ribs and Rumps is now one of those steakhouses that I wouldn’t mind going to ..again & again & again.

 

With cute napkins like these, and radio ads with tribal men drumming out the slogan “RIBS. AND RUMPS”, assif you wouldn’t go !

 

 

The Caesar – $11.95 (Side, or table for $18.95)
An old time favourite – cos lettuce, egg, crispy bacon, fresh croutons and shavings of Parmesan cheese, tossed with a traditional Caesar dressing

When most people go to steakhouses, the first thing that they’d be inclined to order would be steak. Same goes for Pancakes at the Rocks – you’d go there to try their pancakes ! But a shared entree of salad is always a good thing :) Especially when they taste as nice as the ones at Ribs and Rumps ! The lettuce was fresh, the cheese was tasty (not old and mouldy – yuck!), and the croutons were crunchy :)

 

 

My companions all bibbed up :)

Aside from the salad, we had to try the ribs and rumps ! :) As soon as we ordered the ribs, our waitstaff came back to our table with a wooden bowl (for rib bones), as well as four bibs. Tehehe, wearing bibs are such a novelty !  

 

The 500g hide of rump – $39.95, and creamy mushroom sauce – $2.95
A mammoth rump, for the real man or woman!

Pictured above is a 500g rump steak – my camera doesn’t do it justice as to how big it should be – but then again, from memory, I don’t remember thinking the steak was particularly big. Ours was done medium rare, so it was a little chewy, but I think that’s the way it is when you get MR.

The waiters were sneaky too – our dedicated waiter asked us if we wanted sauce – neglecting to mention it cost a sneaky $2.95 ;) . Haha, you also get a choice of fries or baby potatoes and sour cream with your dish.

 

Pork Ribs (1kg rack) – $47.95
Lean and tender

I don’t believe I was really a fan of ribs until this fateful day. Same deal with the steak – you have a choice of either fries or baby potatoes – but these ribs were just soooo good. Succulent and juicy, they are very easy to eat with civilised OR uncivilised – if you like using cutlery or not.

But I have a bone to pick with you –  my sister says that she has a friend who has a friend (lol) who works at Ribs and Rumps – and apparently their ribs “stay on the floor” for ages. She told me this with the thought that it would deter me from eating them, but alas :) They are just too good ! This place could even be blacklisted on the Name ‘n’ Shame and I would go back and eat them :)

 

Half rack of lamb ribs – $24.95

True to my word, I did come back a later day and order a half rack of lamb ribs for myself :) Lamb is definitely nowhere near as good as pork, but it was still deliciously tasty :)

Ribs and Rumps’ marinade is amazing imo, and the way they grill it is never overdone or chewy. The meat is always thick and juicy – but I wouldn’t suggest getting any more than a half rack – you’d get sick of eating a kilogram of the same stuff !

 

Dessert Menu

The dessert menu at Ribs and Rumps is also a sneaky marketing tool – simply a dessert platter with all their cakes on display – no prices included ! The selection above included tiramisu, chocolate cake, strawberry mousse, ricotta cheesecake, apple pie, passionfruit ganache …and I forgot the rest.

And so after the waiters have gone to all the effort of bringing the platter out to show you, you feel compelled to make a purchase !

 

Ricotta Cheesecake – $9

IMO the presentation is pretty good for a steakhouse. In addition to chocolate sauce and a small bowl of vanilla ice cream, you’re also given a side of whipped cream and strawberry. I don’t remember being blown away OR feeling utterly disgusted by this dessert – so let’s just be neutral :)

 

Passionfruit Ganache – $9

Strawberry syrup :) I think it was passionfruit ganache ? Or maybe it was coulis ..who knows, it was so long ago -_-

 

Way back when, I was always one of those people who would prefer spinach to steak, and cabbage and brussels sprouts to fish and lamb. Needless to say ..my eating habits have changed ..immensely.

If North Ryde is a bit of a trek for you, Ribs and Rumps can also be found at Campbelltown, Manly, and Sydney Olympic Park – and there’s even one in Africa and in Dubai !

If you’re planning on dining here, I’d suggest booking because the place is usually quite full. There’s a dedicated carpark surrounding the North Ryde branch, but that’s usually full as well. As for its comparison to other steakhouses? A little pricy compared to the likes of Hogs’ Breath, but I’d say that for me it poops on Hurricane’s by far! And they have a Frequent Diners’ reward system set up too ! But don’t take my word for it, you should try it yourself :)

 

Ribs and Rumps (visited 01/05/09 & 02/22/09)
11 Talavera Road
North Ryde
Tel: (02) 9805 1199
Fax: (02) 9805 0990
http://www.ribsandrumps.com

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