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Monday, April 9, 2012

Bites: HwaRo @ Northbridge!

Nestled in Aberdeen street which is well-known for its bustling nightlife is a new Korean BBQ establishment.  With  budding reputation and worthy mentions from Koreans and Aussies alike, it was definitely a place I had to try.

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Hwa Ro!

 

My first trip here was with a group of workmates after work.  Based on what we ordered the first time, it seemed that Hwa Ro has little to offer that differs itself from an already saturated concept.  However, it was in my second trip that we discovered more of what this Korean eatery had to offer.

 

To start, we had the Bulgogi Stew which was in my opinion yums!

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With heaps of mushrooms, this was definitely a female pleaser.  The girls found this dish yummy albeit being on the sweet side.  What surprised me was the thick and rich sauce ones all the mushrooms had released all its water.  Initially, there was almost no water besides the stock.  But when the mushrooms were cooked, the pot was almost full! Quite a dish this one is.  The beef was decently tender but that was expected as we might have overcooked it!

 

Another stew that we ordered was the herbal beef stew!

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Unlike its bulgogi counterpart, this one carried a more subtle taste which had a sweetness of a different kind.  It was more fragrant with the sweetness of the herbs.  Not mind blowing but decently tasty! Moreover, having different kinds of beef meat in there made is richer and nutritious.  In fact, mom says that all different parts is actually quite heaty and can result in fever or bleeding nose if one does not drink enough water.  For me, unfortunately, the whole barbecue experience was not that good as my stomach felt too ‘hot’ as the Chinese would say.  I had diarrhoea and tummy ache the following two days. Then again, its just me being me!

 

For me, the main thing that differentiates Hwa Ro from its competitors is its unique skewered BBQ meat which gives diners a different experience.  The chicken skewer as you shall see below is fitted into a little socket which automatically rotates the meat around! It was pretty unique I would have to insist!

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But be wary though! Being mesmerised by the ever so slowly rotating skewers is nothing more than trickery as foolishness shall leave on with stringy overcooked chicken.  And that happen to all our 8 skewers! Talk about not learning from mistakes huh!? Funny but true! Nevertheless, more love could have resulted in better results!

 

From memory, diners are spoilt for choice.  From short ribs to pork belly or even the simple scotch fillet, there are heaps which we can choose from.  For the skewers, there is a good list of about 5-8 skewered meat.  I wanted to try the duck skewers which were recommended by a friend.  Unfortunately it was sold out when I tried to order it.  It would be a priority the next time around. At the end of the meal, I cannot tell whether I was fully satisfied with what I have eaten.  Over the course of 2 months, I have eaten more barbecue meals than I would have normally eaten in a year.  However, that is not a fair reason to drag what could have been a good meal and make it bad!  My experience at Hwa Ro was a good one.  With a dashing red interior, this fiery establishment would have me back for more.  Whether its the skewers or the stew, it was certain that it was just a matter of time.  But I must say though, the Kimchee pancake here did not impress. For a moment there I felt as if I could have done better hahaha!  Oh and the price here is pretty decent.  The first time, it costed me 15 bucks while my second trip here was 21 bucks per person.  Pretty OK in my opinion!

 

Regards,

WenY

Hwa Ro Korean Restuarant on Urbanspoon

Sunday, April 8, 2012

WenY is sorry!

Despite being quite invisible in the food scene recently, I have actually tried heaps of new restaurants.  Unfortunately its quite a shame that I sometimes commute directly from my workplace to dinner causing me to miss out on taking pictures of the food I eat.  At the same time, I want to apologise to my readers who must have been wondering where I have went.  To make it short, I have actually graduated awhile ago and have started working. Yes you heard it right, its the 7-5 routine for me now.  Nonetheless, I will try my best to keep this space updated as frequently as I can :)!

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At the same time, this is the the little darling’s and my daughter Daisy! She’s now 4 months old and counting!  it’s another responsibility I have now :)!

 

WenY

Bites: Hometown Kitchen @ Parkwood

While I have been eating in many places, travelling beyond the city is typically outside the boundary of my comfort zone.  Nevertheless, a little travelling can sometimes payoff quite well.  A couple of km’s out of city lies a quality restaurant which serves homestyle Malaysian food.  It list of impressive menu has common Malaysian food like herbal chicken, curry fish head, and other things which revolves about the delicious sambal.  For this dinner of mine, my ambitious crew of three decided to bite more than we can chew.

 

Some of the food we ordered includes:

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Claypot Eggplant with minced pork and chilli!  This dish was probably the least favourite of the night.  While its sauce was thick and tasty, it seemed to lack the typical Malaysian touch which for me is a more well fried brinjal cooked in a sauce which uses a little bit more “tau cheong” or preserved bean sauce.  Nevertheless, its good dish to have with rice!

 

Next was the fried king prawn in two sauce.

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This dish despite its simplicity sticks to a faultless formula which some might critic it for being to simple or unenthusiastic.  But seriously, a teenage eater can’t complain when its mayonnaise with fried prawns!  Hometown Kitchen adds its own touch with some cut fruits to mix with their prawn salad.  On the other end of the plate is the prawns with Thai chilli sauce which was pretty good as well!

 

Fish head curry.

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Despite serving strong dishes like the king prawn and other dishes which I have tried before like the homemade bean curd, nothing quite satisfies my taste buds like Hometown Kitchen’s Curry Fish served in Claypot.  With a delectable sauce with heaps of spices, this was one dish that had me eating many bowls of rice.  Not to mention, some of the deep fried fish pieces were actually still crispy making it extremely pleasurable to bite into!  More importantly, the fish used does not have the fishy stench which usually keeps me away from such dishes! For this dish, I would definitely score it a 8/10!  This is strongly recommended by my friends as well!

 

Overall, Hometown Kitchen serves quality food at decent prices.  What its eggplant dish lacked off was made up the prawns and the curry fish dish.  Service here was fair.  It was not attentive like fine dining but neither was it bitchy.  Judging from the satisfaction I had, a next visit is not too far away!

 

WenY

Hometown Kitchen on Urbanspoon