Thanon Khao San

I love coconut and I love Thailand. When I happened to walk past Thanon Khao San on Pitt Street, the sight of their Thai sweets literally stopped me in my tracks. I was in awe of all the Thai sweets before me, in particular, I was eyeing off anything made of coconut.

The shop front of Thanon Khao San reminded me of the street stalls that I saw in Thailand. The Thai sweets were all lined up so simply in hawker carts and there were so many to choose from. The Thai sweets at Thanon Khao San were also so incredibly cheap!

I decided to buy two different items. I bought the Coconut Cream and Sago Thai sweet and the Coconut jelly with coconut cream wrapped in pandan leaf.

Unfortunately because I am on a wedding diet, I could not eat everything that I bought. I decided to request the assistance of fellow dessert and coconut lover Vivian. I bought her the Coconut Jelly with coconut cream wrapped in pandan leaf. Thanon Khao San had three versions, taro, corn or coconut. I ended up choosing the coconut version. My friend said the Coconut jelly with coconut cream wrapped in pandan leaf was so delicious.

I decided that I must try one of the Thai sweets for myself. I ended up trying the Coconut Cream and Sago Thai sweet. I absolutely loved the combination of Coconut Cream and Sago. The Coconut Cream and Sago Thai sweet was amazing. The combination of Coconut Cream and Sago was perfect. I could’ve eaten many more. The Coconut Cream and Sago Thai sweet was not too sweet. I was so excited that I finally found a place that sells this Thai sweet.

For my next visit, I really want to try the Coconut Cream with Coconut meat wrapped in a leaf. It looked interesting and it seemed to be a popular item, because I was see them selling out fast.

Thanon Khao San is located at:

413 Pitt Street, Haymarket NSW 2000

The Pie Tin

My friends were constantly telling me about how great The Pie Tin was. They showed me photos of the enormous apple pie and other sweet pies that they had ordered. I was absolutely intrigued about the idea of a place that sells a variety of pies, so I decided to make a visit.

Trying to pin point The Pie Tin’s location was a task for me, I could not picture where Brown Street was located.  I finally found The Pie Tin with help from Google Maps. After what seemed forever, I found parking.

The Pie Tin had a lovely ambience. There were two display cabinets.  One cabinet had a variety of delicious sweet pies and the other display cabinet had a variety of savoury pies. I decided to order a slice of Apple Pie for my brother, and a slice of Coconut Cream Pie for myself .

The Coconut Cream Pie was a huge slice. I could not eat all of it. The pastry crust was very delicious and not too heavy. The filling of the pie was very coco-nutty and creamy. I particularly liked the creamy topping of the Coconut Cream Pie. Unfortunately, I could not finish the pie.

The Apple Pie was in one word “HUGE”. I have never seen a Apple Pie that had such a huge apple filling. I did not try the Apple Pie, because I do not like Apple Pie. My brother told me he did not like the Apple Pie. He said it was “yucky”. I was quite surprised that he did not like the Apple Pie, because many of my friends have raved about how good this Apple Pie is.

The Pie Tin had so many other sweet and savoury pies that I would love to try. I really want to try the Brown Butter Pecan Pie, because I love pecans. I will definitely visit again very soon.

The Pie Tin is located at:

1a Brown Street, Newtown NSW 2042

Website:

http://www.thepietin.com.au/

Park Bench

I discovered Park Bench, after I read about it in an article in the Sydney Morning Herald. The word “Gelato” caught my eye, I had to make a visit. I finally made a visit to try their milkshakes and then later that evening I visited again, after spending a entire day bugging my friends to join me.

Park Bench is a new cafe on busy George Street, located where Passionflower used to be. The decor is very unique, with use of old items such as once used milk crates, and other furniture items. I really admire their creativity, who would have ever thought of putting a picnic table on the ceiling?

Park Bench sells gelato, beverages, a few desserts and some savoury food options such as sandwiches. The menu is as quirky as their decor.

For my first visit, I decided to order a milkshake. I ordered a Rafaello milkshake. I love Rafaello chocolate, so it was a given that I would choose this gelato flavour for my milkshake. The Rafaello milkshake came in one size, and it was too big for me to drink. I did manage to drink it after a while, but I really should not have. The milkshake was delicious. The milkshake did taste like Rafaello. I was also impressed that they used a good brand of milk too.

Later that evening, I dragged my friends back to Park Bench so that we could try their gelato. We ended up ordering the flavours Black Sesame, Green Tea, Honeycomb Crunch and Coconut Gelato and Passionfruit and Lime Sorbet. My friend who cannot eat dairy, was very happy that the sorbet was 100% dairy free. I did not try my friends gelato, but they loved their choices. I ordered the Coconut and the Honeycomb Crunch Gelato. I loved the Honeycomb Crunch Gelato, it was so creamy and delicious. The Honeycomb flavouring was so subtle. The Coconut Gelato was in my opinion, quite average. I prefer the Coconut and Lychee Gelato at Gelato Messina.

I would love to visit Park Bench again someday and try their dessert options. Otherwise, I really like Park Bench’s gelato. I would definitely place this place on my top 5 favourite gelato places.

Park Bench is located at:

580 George Street, Sydney NSW 2000 (across the road from KFC)

we decided that we should stick to ordering gelato.

NOTE: Park bench has since closed

BBQ Pork Bo Lo Baau Buns from Ho’s Dim Sim Kitchen

I first fell in love with BBQ Pork Bo Lo Baau Buns last year when Shirley (@Gastronomous_A) on Twitter recommended I try them at Tim Ho Wan, Mongkok, Hong Kong. I admittedly went slightly crazy when I was in Hong Kong and ate way too many of them. Ever since then, I had wished that I could another BBQ Pork Bo Lo Baau Bun fix, but I could never find anywhere to buy them. Imagine my joy, when I spotted them at the newly renovated Ho’s Dim Sim Kitchen.

Ho’s Dim Sim Kitchen had undergone a renovation this year. The newly renovated  Ho’s Dim Sim Kitchen looks amazing. There is actually more space now and it seems there is also more of a variety of different items on offer.

Ho’s Dim Sim Kitchen actually name the BBQ Pork Bo Lo Baau Buns as BBQ Pork Buns, but I like to refer them as BBQ Pork Bo Lo Baau Buns because of the crunchy crust on top.

I was so excited when I saw the BBQ Pork Bo Lo Baau Buns at Ho’s Dim Sim Kitchen.  I had to look twice and then take a photo so I could spread the news.

I ended up buying two BBQ Pork Bo Lo Baau Buns and I was crossing my fingers that they would taste as good as the ones that I ate at Tim Ho Wan. I decided to wait until I got back to work and try them.

The BBQ Pork Bo Lo Baau Buns were definitely on par as the BBQ Pork Bo Lo Baau Buns that I ate at Tim Ho Wan. The top crust of the buns had a lovely crunchy textured topping and the BBQ Pork filling was quite tasty. I loved them.

Unfortunately the BBQ Pork Bo Lo Baau Buns seem to sell out quickly, so I think I will have to go back there earlier.

Ho’s Dim Sim Kitchen is located at:

429A Pitt Street, Sydney NSW 2000 (near Encasa)

Website:

http://www.hosdimsimkitchen.com.au

Black Star Pastry

In my continued quest to investigate more places to eat dessert and baked goods, I decided to check out Black Star Pastry. I had no idea that this delicious place existed, until my Twitter friend Dex (@kewpielovesyou) tweeted on Twitter about his visit.

Black Star Pastry is a small shop on Australia Street at Newtown. I probably would not have known about the place if I had not read Dex’s Tweet. I really liked Black Star Pastry, the shop had a very rustic feel and  their desserts and baked goods on offer looked delicious.

As usual, I may have gotten slightly carried away and bought more food that I can eat. I ended up buy a Chocolate Eclair, Salted Caramel Panna cotta, Custard Flan, Croissant, Chocolate Croissant, Cinnamon Scroll, and a Chocolate and Hazelnut Torte.  I had to stop myself from buying more.

The Chocolate Eclair was so delicious, I really loved chocolate cream filling. Every part of the Chocolate Eclair was moreish.

The Salted Caramel Panna cotta was a tad too sweet for my liking, but my friend loved it. I found the Salted Caramel part to be strange and I cannot explain it. Such a shame, because I am obsessed with everything Salted Caramel.

The Chocolate and Hazelnut Torte was quite delicious. The torte was deliciously chocolatey. I could not eat much of the torte, I had to share it.

The Custard Flan was the best custard tart that I have ever eaten. The custard part was not too sweet and the pastry was divine, so flakey and buttery. Heavenly.

Both croissants were flakey, buttery and delicious. The Croissant were quite big, I probably could have easily shared it.

The Cinnamon Scroll was undoubtedly the Cinnamon Scroll that I have ever eaten, no wonder why there was only one left. The scroll was flakey and moreish. The cinnamon was not too over powering either.

Out of all the items that I purchased, my favourite item was the Custard Flan. I could have easily eaten two of these, but I had to be behaved, so I shared the Custard Flan with my friend. Actually, I have to confess, I had to share everything. How can one retain a good shape for my wedding in a few weeks.

I definitely would love to visit Black Star Pastry again soon. I really want to try their bread range and of course to try their hot chocolate.

Black Star Pastry is located at:

277 Australia Street, Newtown NSW 2042

Note: Black Star Pastry only accepts cash for purchases

Website:

http://www.blackstarpastry.com.au/