Waffling Leftovers: Salad

Update Review, March 2020

It was only a year or so ago that I discovered the perfect way to salvage leftover salad that was past its prime: waffle (or grill it!).  I've since repeated that trick several times, always to great success, but, I just haven't actually frequently had much soggy salad on hand, or, I've just been busy and eaten it limp and all in a rush.  Until, well, Shelter in Place time, when I had more time on my hands, and needed some way to be creative.

Like, you know, grilling my leftover salad.  I was again pleased with the results, and I encourage anyone with some lackluster lettuce to give it a shot.

The Original: Ceasar Salad from The Melt.

The original was a perfectly fresh, crispy, ceasar salad, with shredded parmesan (and grilled cheese croutons!) from The Melt.  It was great fresh.

Leftover Ceasar Salad.

The leftovers however, were ... not as great.  I packaged them up to save for the next day, sans dressing and croutons, thinking it would hold up fine, but, alas, it did not.  I think the generous amount of shredded parmesan in particular was the problem, as it made it moist, and the entire thing got pretty soggy fast, even without dressing.

But I knew how to save it.  I had grill plates in my waffle iron/grill, so, into the grill it went.

Into the Grill!

After just a minute it was steaming, and the parmesan was melting.

It was looking goooood!

Grilling Away.

Another two minutes, and it was getting slightly charred, exactly as I wanted.

Grilled Ceasar Salad.

I could have let it go longer to get more crispy, more akin to kale chips (er, lettuce chips), but I pulled it at this point, scraping it all into a bowl, and topping with a spicy Korean sauce.

It was delightful.  The shredded parmesan cheese turned crispy like a frico, the lettuce was juicy and crispy at the same time.

Best way to save a salad!

Original Review, January 2018

By now, you know that I like to waffle random leftovers.  I've found it to be a remarkable way to actually reheat leftovers, often transforming unappealing items into something totally salvageable.  Plus, obviously, I have fun with it.

Sometimes, I'll admit, I throw something into the waffle iron mostly for the novelty aspect.  Like, when I waffled pudding.  I didn't exactly expect that to work.  Or this time, when, uh, I waffled leftover salad.

Bear with me for a minute.

Have you ever seen a caesar salad with grilled romaine?  It shows up on menus from time to time.  The waffle iron is mostly like a grill.  I wasn't expecting it to magically turn lettuce into a waffle, obviously, but, I thought it would grill it.

The other reason I did it though?  I had some extremely wilted, soggy, unappealing, leftover salad, that there was just no way I could eat as it was.  I could throw it out, or I could have some fun.  I sorta thought that perhaps it would be a bit like making kale chips too, and the moisture would get sucked out of the soggy leftover lettuce.

It didn't transform into lettuce chips, but, honestly, it was a breakthrough.

Put simply, Leftover Salad: Will it waffle?  Yes, yes, yes!

I encourage you to consider it when you have leftover salad too.  Don't just toss it.  It also really makes me wonder why grilled salads aren't more a thing (I understand that waffling salads isn't, but, why don't we see more grilled salads?).  This not only transformed items destined for the trash, it was really legitimately good.

Waffled Salad Transformation, v1.0.

In the first version of this (yes, spoiler, I innovated further), I only waffled the lettuce, leaving the other ingredients out.

The Original: Heirloom Tomato Salad with Cucumber and Pickled Onions.

The original was a very tasty salad, huge leaves of assorted lettuces (red leaf, little gem, etc), slices of fresh cucumber, totally delicious heirloom cherry tomatoes, and tart pickled onions.  The dressing was even more amazing, red wine vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil, ginger, thai basil.

Soggy Leftover Salad.

We had a ton of leftover, so I saved it.  The salad was undressed, so, I thought it would keep fine for a day, but unfortunately, the moisture from the tomatoes and onions did it in.

By the next day, the lettuce was limp, wilted, soggy, and really not good at all.  No matter how tasty the dressing was, or how amazing the heirloom tomatoes still were, there was just nothing appealing about this salad.

But I didn't have anymore fresh lettuce.

A normal person would just extract the tomatoes and onions, mix them with some tasty dressing, and have a little tomato salad.  But I am not a normal person.

When I have lackluster leftovers, only one thing comes to mind.  My waffle iron.

Lettuce: Into the Waffle Iron ...

So yes, into the waffle iron the lettuce went.  I did keep the tomatoes, cucumbers, and onions out of it (at least, this time).

I literally just spread the wilted soggy leaves into the iron, 350 degrees, and let it go.

Waffled Lettuce?

I pulled it out after it started looking "done".  It was not waffled exactly, more like grilled, but, it worked, really.

It was warm, slightly wilted, slightly grilled lettuce.  The moisture was sucked out, as I hoped.  It reminded me of roasted escarole actually.

I failed to take a photo of the final creation, but, I topped it with the tomatoes, pickled onions, and tasty dressing.  It didn't have the crispness nor freshness that regular raw lettuce salad has, but, it totally worked, and I enjoyed it, and was inspired.

Waffled Salad Transformation, v2.0.

Inspired for round 2.  I knew I could do better.  And I had a lot more salad to play with.

The lettuce alone was good, but, why not just waffle the whole thing?  It would be just like grilling, right?  Grilled onions and blistered tomatoes are delicious.  So, why not?  Waffling would be just about the same as grilling, right?

Entire Salad: Into the Waffle Iron ...

This time, I put the whole salad in.  Super soggy greens, halves of tomatoes, onions, and all.

I mean, why not?

I closed the lid, pressed down, and walked away, a bit giddy with myself.

Salad: Cooking Away ...

And, as expected, everything started looking grilled after a few minutes.

The tomatoes got beautiful char marks, turned blistered, just like they had been slow cooked.  The onions started looking grilled.  The aroma was lovely.

"Waffled" Salad Success!

I plated it all up, drizzled the dressing over it after.  I loved it.

Was it a waffle?  Of course not.  But does a waffle iron work perfectly well as a grill?  Absolutely.

Just like in the first batch, the waffle iron saved that wilty, soggy, totally gross lettuce.  It was warm, slightly charred, and actually good like this.  The tomatoes got a bit of char, split open, and acted like they had been slow roasted for hours.  I don't think I need to convince you that grilled onions are a great thing.

This was a remarkable transformation, and I'll clearly do it again.

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Astronaut Ice Cream

Update Review, March 2020

Remember when I discovered astronaut ice cream a few years ago? (No? Go read my review!).  I kinda loved the mint chocolate chip.

So during the recent Shelter in Place restriction, I decided this was an ideal time to break into my pantry, and, well, pretend I was on a spaceship.

"Savor the goodness of ice cream and the crunch of chocolate wafers with this Astronaut Ice Cream Sandwich."

I was pretty interested to see how an ice cream *sandwich* would turn into a freeze dried item, after the success of the regular ice cream.  Alas, the sandwich didn't work out nearly as well.

The "ice cream" was actually still decent - crazy crispy texture that somehow is creamy on your tongue, but the flavor was just plain vanilla, which paled in comparison to the mint chocolate chip I had before.  Still, that part worked.

But the chocolate wafer cookies were just crispy, not chocolately, not really flavorful in any way, and had a "stale" feeling about them.

I salvaged all the ice cream out of this, and discarded the cookies.  Fun idea, but, I'll go back to the regular ice cream next time (uh, next time? Let's hope I get off this spaceship soon!)

Original Review, September 2019

Astronaut ice cream  Something I haven't thought about since ... elementary school?  Basically, whenever the last time I visited a planetarium and its gift shop was.

I think I always assumed it was just a gimmick.  I mean, I love ice cream, but ... yeah.  How could this be actually tasty?

Somehow, I honestly don't remember how, I wound up with astronaut ice cream in my pantry.  It is shelf stable for a very long time.

Eventually, I tried (spoiler alert: and loved!), it.

Packaging.

"Freeze-Dried ice cream and other freeze dried foods have been used by NASA since the early days of the Apollo space program and are still used by Astronauts today on the Space Shuttle. If you're looking for an out of this world snack or party treat, this fun treat can be eaten anytime, anywhere. No refrigeration needed ever!"

The outer packaging reveals very little about what will be inside, and I wasn't quite sure what format to expect inside the foil bag. 

Mint Chocolate Chip.

"This is a new twist on the classic freeze-dried space delight. You get a double hit of flavor in one great freeze-dried treat. Truly a unique culinary experience, this delicious freeze-dried ice cream is sure to make ice cream fans happy. Official Freeze-Dried Astronaut Ice Cream is a delightful dessert anytime whether on the trail or outer space!"

Ok, this was downright fascinating, far more than I expected.  I kinda assumed this was cool for kids, and slightly novel, and I'd quickly move on.  It turned out to be fun to me too, and quite delicious.

Inside the outer bag it was wrapped in another wrapper, and then, the product itself was a solid block, or, at least it used to be, before it got all broken up.

The texture is, well, freeze dried.  Super crispy.  If I just bit and chewed, I found my brain got confused very quickly, as I was biting into something crisp, yet the sensation in my mouth was, well, creamy ice cream.  It tasted like ice cream, quite rich.  It even left my mouth coated like ice cream.  But ... it was crispy.  I was drawn in immediately.

Next I let it dissolve a bit more slowly on my tongue, rather than biting.  This was even more addicting, as it spread out into ... um, melting ice cream? Seriously.  It melted in my mouth.  But it was crispy to start, and most certainly wasn't cold.

In addition to all the fascinating textures and experiences going on, it also had flavor.  Really excellent flavor.  Minty.  Rich ice cream.  Little chocolate chips studded it, well distributed throughout.  The flavor was on point with any good mint chocolate chip ice cream.

I really truly enjoyed eating this, and I'd gladly have more.  Good for a day when it isn't "ice cream weather", but you want creamy goodness?

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Sprinkles Cupcakes

Update Reviews, 2019

Yes, I know I've never cared for Sprinkles cupcakes before, and have reviewed several times.

Abandoned Box of Cupcakes ...

But, when you find an abandoned box of cupcakes in the microkitchen at work ...

So many to try!

Yes, the cupcakes were a bit ... let's just say, handled?  People clearly had decided to cut them all up to try many kinds.  Which, I was fully behind, and decided to try all 5 kinds that remained, not knowing what any were as I tried them, but they were fairly easy to identify once I tasted them.

Front row:

Chocolate Marshmallow (bottom)
"Gather 'round the campfire for a spooky tale,
Of a dark chocolate cupcake lost on a haunted trail!
He noticed a shadow creeping and let out a scream,
There appeared a ghost of fluffy white marshmallow cream!
He ran so fast, his frosting could not take the heat
And melted into a ganache, so rich and bittersweet!"

There was only a tiny chunk of this left, and I can safely say that I didn't really get to appreciate it fully.  The cake was a dark chocolate, fairly moist, and I only got a tiny dollop of marshmallow cream and chocolate ganache, clearly the most important elements of the cupcake.  I can't fairly evaluate this one.

Black and White (middle)
"Yin and yang explains that light cannot exist without darkness, hot without cold, and chocolate without vanilla. Sprinkles Black and White cupcakes create a harmonious balance between Belgian dark chocolate cake and creamy vanilla frosting. As the proverb goes, two parts united together give rise to something better!"

This was fine, but not particularly novel.  The cake was a bit dry, not the most intense chocolate cake.  The vanilla frosting was sweet and fairly tasty, but, very one note, just, sweet.  A standard, decent enough, basic cupcake, but I didn't care for a second bite.

Peanut Butter Chocolate (top)
"As a child, you discovered how to dunk chocolate into the peanut butter jar and became convinced you invented a new food. Sprinkles pays tribute to your ingenuity with our Peanut Butter Chocolate cupcakes. This chocolate chip-studded cake is made with creamy, all-natural peanut butter and topped with fudgy milk chocolate cream cheese frosting. With just the right combination of salty and sweet, you should brace yourself for the onslaught of fan mail!"

Um.  I didn't know what this was when I tried it, but I was immediately in love.  This was amazing.

The best part was the intense peanut butter flavor in the cake.  I loved the tiny chocolate chips throughout the base, for texture, and for, well, chocolate.  And for the magic of chocolate and peanut butter together, of course.  It was like chocolate chip cookie dough, cake, and delicious spoonful of peanut butter all wound into one.  Loved it.

Oh yeah, and then there was frosting too.  Thick, creamy, chocolate cream cheese frosting, which was very rich, and went well with the peanut butter flavors.

Definitely a winner, and I turned right back around to claim the rest of this one.  The best Sprinkles cupcake I've ever had.

Salty Caramel.

"Sprinkles Salty Caramel cupcakes are an irresistible salty-sweet flavor combination using fleur de sel crystals hand harvested from the pristine seas off Brittany, France. These fleur de sel granules are a delightful complement to the sweet, buttery caramel which flavors both the cake and frosting. Taste the rich, delicious complexity of Sprinkles take on this classic French duo."

I didn't read my notes before diving into these, but, wow, my notes this time completely match the other two times I tried this cupcake.  I do NOT like it.

It was just way too sweet for me - the frosting was just sweet, sweet, sweet, and, given Sprinkles’ generous application of frosting, was too much.  The cake was fairly dry, and just sweet too.  Did not care for this at all.

Carrot.

"Children may run upon hearing a vegetable has made its way into their cupcake, but do you know the secret? Carrots' hidden sugar content make them a baker's ally! Our recipe blends fragrant spices with freshly grated carrots and toasted walnuts. Coated with a generous heap of cinnamon cream cheese frosting, you might even convince the kids to eat their vegetables!"
And finally, a classic, carrot cake.

The cake part was ... fine.  The cake was fairly moist, and the carrots were quite obvious, good sized gratings.  I liked the crunch from the walnuts, and they were well distributed.  But the cake was a little too spiced for me.  Still, fine, but not great.

The frosting is where this one lost me.  I didn't like the cinnamon and other spices in it, just too much spicing for my taste, and I didn't taste cream cheese at all.

Not a fan.

Update Review, December 2018

Sprinkle: Birthday cake topped with vanilla buttercream and colorful non pareil sprinkles.

"This cheery birthday cake is loaded with rainbow sprinkles and topped with vanilla buttercream frosting. Adorned with crunchy rainbow non-pareils, your only birthday wish will be for many more!"

It has been years since I've reviewed Sprinkles cupcakes, because, well, I never really liked them before.

But I recently attended an event where the only sweet item was mini Sprinkles cupcakes, and they had a flavor I never tried before, so, I gave them a try.  I went for the most exciting flavor: sprinkle!

I pulled off the garnish on top, and, uh, I really loved it.  Yes, just printed on fondant, but it was sweet, crispy, and, well, totally what I wanted it seems.

This was a good sign?

The frosting was quite sweet, and I think I liked it.  It wasn't bad, but it also wasn't particularly good.  I mean, it was sweet, and there was lots of it, so, that was good?  I think I was indifferent to the frosting.  I did love the crunchy non-pareils on top.

Sprinkle: Inside.

The cake was "birthday cake", so, funfetti style, little pops of rainbow color throughout but no flavor from the colors, no texture difference either.  The cake had a decent crumb to it, but I didn't care for the flavor, it tasted slightly stale to me.

So, overall ... yeah, still not into these cupcakes.  Nothing *wrong* with it, but really not a particularly good cupcake.

Original Review, February 2015

I love desserts, you know this.  But cupcakes are rarely near the top of my list.  Even during the height of the cupcake craze, they never did it for me.  Believe me, I tried, but all the top places on Yelp in the area failed me, like Sibby's Cupcakery, Cup and Cake's Bakery, Cako, or Delessio.

Sprinkles was one of the originators of that craze, credited with being one of the first cupcake bakeries in the US, and certainly the first on the West Coast.  It took a while for them to reach the Bay Area, and even though the general cupcake fad had passed, I remember people being very excited for the Palo Alto location opening.   They even make cupcake ATMs.  I figured if any cupcakes were going to be good, these would be it.

Spoiler: I didn't like them.  The cake was always too dry, and the cupcakes were all homogenous throughout, lacking the moist interior and crispy exterior I prefer.  The frostings were all too sweet, and there was too much applied.

I won't be trying more.

Salty Caramel.

"These fleur de sel granules are a delightful complement to the sweet, buttery caramel which flavors both the cake and frosting."

I didn't care for the cake at all.  It was fairly dry, and I really didn't taste caramel.

The frosting was super sweet, I guess caramely, and it seemed a bit cream cheesy.  The salt crystals on top were really good however, and complemented the sweet well.

[ Subsequent review: I again found the cake really dry and uninteresting.  The frosting however was nicely sweet, and I certainly detected cream cheese in it.  The edible decoration was also tasty. ]

Red Velvet.

"Southern style light chocolate cake with cream cheese frosting."

This is their signature flavor, made with Callebaut chocolate.  Also available in gluten-free or sugar free, although, if you want a gluten-free cupcake, I recommend the vanilla ones from Kara's Cupcakes.

I'm never a big fan of red velvet.  This was no exception.  It had a decent chocolate flavor to it, but way too much sweet cream cheese icing.  Meh.  My least favorite of the flavors I tried.

Strawberry.

"This juicy cupcake is made with ripe, succulent strawberries pureed into both its cake and frosting."

This sounded promising.

But ... the cake was still a dry, consistent style that I don't really like, and it didn't have any flavor.   Where were the strawberries pureed in it?

The frosting was really lovely however, with a strong strawberry flavor, although still a bit too sweet.  The strawberry flavor in the icing was very ... fruit forward!

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A Yogurt Cow, Sydney

Another day, another new yogurt drink shop popping up in Sydney.  And of course I wanted to try as many as possible, as I'm very into the fad.

Setting

A Yogurt Cow is pretty new, right in Haymarket on the main drag.

Ordering Counter.

When you enter A Yogurt Cow, it looks like every other tea/yogurt/boba drink shop: ordering counter, displays with photos of signature drinks, promos for special new items.

Decorated Side.

One side of the shop looks reasonably nice, with backlit shelving.

Uh, Seating?

The other side is entirely vacant.  I imagine this is where some seating or a counter will go?  There is absolutely no where to enjoy your treat or even really linger for a moment to take your Instagram photo.

Uh ... work in progress?

And then the final section, milk crates and a dolly.

They have been open a few months ...

Drinks

Menu.

The menu is broken down into 3 sections, all featuring yogurt, as this is a yogurt-only shop, not a general bubble tea venue that has expanded into yogurt drinks.  Multi-grain, Fruit Smoothies, and Yogurt Frappes are your choices.  The first two are blended drinks, and I think both use the same yogurt base, one series just mixes in grains (purple rice, oats) with things like jujube, and the other is fruit based (pineapple, strawberry, passion fruit, etc) and have whipped cream on top.

I asked what the Yogurt Frappes were, and was told they are bowls of frozen yogurt with nuts and fruit toppings (this ... is not a frappe?).  I'm not sure if they use soft or hard serve yogurt, I didn't see a soft serve machine.

No additional list of toppings, or customization to any, but I imagine you could ask?

Mango Yogurt Smoothie.

I was there because I was craving two things: yogurt and mango.  Thus, mango yogurt smoothie it was.  No customization offered (I did ask for less sweet though) and no mix-ins (they don't have boba or anything actually).  It came by default with whipped cream (no cheese foam here).  It was described as "yogurt whipped cream".

It ... was just a smoothie.  A healthy style drink, appropriate for after the gym or something, although I guess it had the whip on top.  Very very blended, smooth, thinner style than others. 

Sweet even though I got less sweet. Very, very little mango flavor.  No mango chunks.  Just ... a smoothie.

The whipped cream on top was yogurt whipped cream, which, when I tried it with the smoothie just tasted like regular whipped cream, but later I had more and it did have some yogurt flavor to it.  It was fine.

Overall, this was clearly not the item for me.  I didn't want a very blended yogurt smoothie - I wanted drinking yogurt, thicker, richer, more interesting, and I wanted to taste mango.

I ended up throwing most of it out and heading elsewhere.

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Lotus, Barangaroo

Sydney has a lot of excellent food, as you know from all my posts on the dining scene, chronicled here.  Strengths are in the Thai and Asian food in particular, with close proximity, the ability to source ingredients, and a lot of local talent, that just blows away their counterparts in the US where I live.  So when I'm in Sydney, rather than explore high end fine dining (which Sydney has too of course), I generally opt for more casual places that highlight the strengths of the city.

On this visit though, I went mid-range, but, in a non-traditional way.

Let me explain.

Lotus Barangaroo is a member of the Lotus Dining Group, which has a number of well known establishments in town (many under the Lotus brand, but also Madame Changhai, Bund, and Bings).  It is the newest, and one of the anchor tenants along the harbor in the new Barangaroo renewal project.

Seating.

The space is beautiful, with considerably (covered) outdoor dining, along with inside spaces.  It has an elegant yet casual vibe to it, which matches the free flowing, well light, bright space.

Open for lunch and dinner, my visit was evening during the week.

However, I did not choose to dine in, rather, I opted to just get takeout.  I was on business travel, had a lot to do that night for work, and was solo, but really just wanted something delicious.  I knew I could get quality takeout, stopping there on my way from the office to the hotel, and either stop to dine along the harbourfront, or just walk the few blocks to my hotel.  I knew it would stuffer slightly, particularly in the aesthetics and plating, but I was optimistic that I could eat quickly after getting it.

My plan worked out very well logistically: I placed my order at the host stand, it took barely 10 minutes, during which time I took a quick stroll around the block, found an amazing spot to sit right along the water a few feet away.  My food was nicely packaged, I was able to eat and be on my way to hotel all within 30 minutes of arriving.  And it was clearly significantly better than traditional fast-dine options.

Menu.

"Lotus Barangaroo offers live fish and seafood in addition to the main menu. Our dumpling master Benny will create dumplings using produce that is native to the local land and sea."

Yup, this is why I was excited about Lotus.  Dumplings and seafood.  Yes!

The food menu is extensive, full of dumplings, other starters, seafood/poultry& pork/beef & lamb main dishes, rice and noodle dishes, vegetarian mains and sides, and of course, desserts.  The price point is on the higher side for the atmosphere, but that is due to the quality of the seafood used, and, the labor intensive process of much of the menu.

I narrowed my choices down to just two items: one kind of dumpling, and one seafood item.  The dumplings were an easy enough choice, although I had many options for dumplings (10 kinds, ranging from steamed to fried, veggie, seafood, poultry, etc), I was there in particular for one kind of dumpling I had read great things about: squid ink dumplings loaded with seafood.  Oh yes.

The other dish though was hard to choose.  I almost just opted for small plates; they had fun starters like an ice plant salad, a lovely looked smoked salmon salad, salt and pepper calamari (always a favorite), and, the other dish I thought I'd get, grilled octopus with sambal.  I adore octopus, and when I set out to Lotus, this is the dish I planned to get.  But ... I was looking through their Intagram on the way, and a few other dishes jumped out.  The seafood lineup is strong, with lobster, snow crab, and mud crab served in whatever style you prefer (work fried with XO, or chilli and black bean, or ginger in salat, or done salt & pepper style), but those all require 24 hour advance notice.  The pipis menu doesn't require advance notice, and I almost went for them, just because they are such a thing in Sydney.  But I decided to go for another more uniquely regional dish: Moreton Bay bugs!  They just looked so good on Instagram, and, I already did have pipis on this trip a few days prior.

Squid ink, blue swimmer crab and scallop dumplings. $24.

.

I couldn't wait to dig into my dumplings.  I read great things about these.  I was so excited for them. I adore crab, scallop, and squid ink.  I had been craving dumplings and spicy sauce all week.  People say these are some of the best dumplings they've ever had.

I ... well, didn't care for them.

The wrappers did have squid ink flavor to them, but were otherwise just ... bland.  I can't say they were too thick, nor too thin, nor dried out, nor anything in particular wrong with them, but ... I just wasn't into them, which really surprised me.

But the inside is what made me sad.  Crab and scallops, I should have loved this!  They were generously stuffed with seafood.  No fillers.  But ... the seafood was mushy.  Like it was overcooked? So mushy.  I tried all 4 dumplings, but each one was mushy inside.  There were also shells in my filling.

I was pretty sad that I didn't like these, and the sauce provided was just very spicy chili sauce.  I wanted some soy or vinegar to mix in (which I'd have at restaurant I think?).

At $24, this was a bit of a pricey disappointment.

Wok fried Moreton Bay bugs with black pepper butter and cavolo nero. $44.

And then my main dish, the one that totally randomly drew me in.  Of course, I've had Moreton Bay bugs before (even in the Qantas First class lounge!), so this wasn't novel to me, but it was the sauce, and the base, that in the photo I saw online just looked so very good.

Of course the plating suffered for takeout, and I expected that.  I can't say it *looked* tasty when handed over, just a blob of brown, with way too much cilantro on top.

It ... was ok.  A mixed success.  A hot wok fried dish, plenty of seafood, the portion of bugs was quite generous (which, as a $44 main dish, it should be).

The Moreton Bay bugs were a bit soft, almost over cooked it seemed, much like the dumplings.  They were battered slightly, but were soggy since submerged in sauce.  

The sauce was fascinating, "black pepper butter" says the menu.  It was rich, thick, spicy, and really quite interesting. I'm sure crazy unhealthy, but it was tasty, particularly with the greens.

However, the kale was literally just two pieces in the base, that soaked up tons of sauce.  The kale was *delicious* and I really wanted more.  Juicy greens in that sauce is a definite winning combo.  

On top was a tiny bit of pork floss, saffron, and cilantro (meh cilantro!).

Overall, this was so much seafood, expensive seafood, but I wasn't particularly impressed with the experience of eating it.  I ate it because it was expensive, and I wanted protein, but ... yeah, meh to the seafood.  That said, I used some leftover sauce the next day with a sweet asian bun, and that was a nice combination.

I wouldn't get this again, nor really return to Lotus.

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Ippudo, Sydney

#underwhelming

That could be my entire review of my Ippudo experience.  

I don't think I need to give much preamble to Ippudo, right?  Chain, famous for ramen, yadda yadda.  

I didn't go for ramen, and I didn't go to dine-in however.  I visited the Westfield Mall location in Sydney, for takeout, at lunchtime.

Small Takeout Meal.

I got my food for takeout, since I didn't feel like dealing with table service.  The location was right next to my hotel AND in a food court, so it was easy to just walk 3 feet away and sit at a table and be left alone, or I could have crossed the street back to my hotel.

I really wanted to try the "Japanesian Coleslaw", with hakusai cabbage, native herbs, and yuzukosho dressing, but alas, not on the limited takeout menu, and, no exceptions.

My items took about 15 minutes, which seemed a bit long, but I think they were prepared fresh.

Yamaimo Fries. $8.

"Japanese yam fries, soy mayonnaise."

Well, sadly, these were not good.  And I was so excited for them!

On the plus side, they were clearly freshly made to order, piping hot.  But they were greasy, crisp but not crispy if that makes sense, and didn't really taste like much.  The batter really looked like it should be great, but alas, they weren't.

The soy mayo at least would be great right?  Nope.  Not sure what it was about it, but I actually really, really disliked the flavor.  It was honestly repulsive to me.

I kept trying the fries, thinking as they cooled maybe I'd like more, but they got worse, spongy as the oil all absorbed in.  I tried dunking in other dips, but alas, just nothing worked.

At least the portion was meager.  Clearly would not get again.

Prawn Katsu Bun. $6.

"Fried prawn cutlet, sweet chilli sauce."

I can't say I was impressed by the looks of my bun.  It was pretty much falling apart.  It had very little cabbage, and very little sauce.  It looked like a fast food item.
able
But it was decent.  The bun was soft, slightly sweet, fluffy.  Nicely steamed.  Clearly, they do a nice job with the buns.

The prawn cutlet was ... ok.  It was juicy, it had plenty of prawn, it was nicely coated and fried.  Not particularly exciting, but fine.

Really, what made this kinda sad was the garnish.  The sprinkle of cabbage really was laughable.  The tiny smear of sweet chili sauce wasn't nearly enough.  I had other sauces with me that I used, but otherwise I would have been pretty grumpy.

So overall, I saw promise, but it wasn't amazing.

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Mango Coco, Sydney

OMG.

Yup, that is all I have to say about Mango Coco.  A new Thai dessert cafe opened in Sydney.  OMG.

Yes, it has all the makings of something I'd love: desserts galore.  Ingredients like taro and pandan abound.  Very trendy smoothie drinks.  Asian baked goods. Ridiculous plated desserts.  Seriously, looking through the (many page) menu was like a dream come true.

But ... but how often do these sort of places live up?  Particularly brand new ones.  Why would I expect this place with virtually no reviews to be good?

I took a gamble.  It paid off.

My last two days in Sydney: as much Mango Coco as I could consume!

I wish I stopped in sooner.  I had only one night and one day left in Sydney, but I pulled off two quick visits.  I will be back, and in particular, I will make it to the full sit down restaurant.  Please, please, don't close on me before I return Mango Coco!

Setting

Mango Coco is located in Thai town, right next to my familiar haunts (my Thai hawker dessert cart is literally 2 doors down, Chat Thai where I often grab desserts has a location around the corner, Boon Cafe is next door ...), on Pitt St.  I discovered it by accident, while en route to my Thai hawker.

Note: I'm unlikely to venture *anywhere* else in Sydney for a Thai dessert in the future. I want more Mango Coco, and I want it now!

Thai Desserts.

At first glance, Mango Coco doesn't look much different than any of the other establishments in the area.  After all, Thai dessert carts line the streets, really.  And all seem to feature the same types of packaged desserts, likely even sourced from the same place.

Sure, the storefront is more appealing than most, but these goods don't look particularly unique.

And then ... and then you realize the epic creations that wait inside.  Mango Coco is like no other on the street (or in Sydney), or anywhere I've been ...

Cakes.

Want to get drawn in further?  Display cases full of bright colors of assorted cakes, easily available togo.

The cake lineup has all sorts of ... "monsters". Like the Foithong Monster (available in two sizes, the larger one is called the "mommy"). Pandan and durian make appearances too.

I think the most famous one of the moment is the Miss Durian, which, is supposed to look like a durian, thorns and all, and yes it has plenty of durian mousse inside.

Takeaway Ordering Area.

Ordering just drinks to take away, or picking up packaged items is easy, and, unlike many shops, there is no question where you are supposed to order.  Right here!

Seating Area.

For the main attractions, full on dessert cafe mode, there is a beautiful seating area.  Well lit, nicely decorated, and the yellow theme dominates.  Consistent look and feel to the entire place.  They even make exposed light bulbs look good!

Drinks

The drink lineup at Mango Coco is actually only a fraction of the menu, but it is where I started.  You can get drinks to dine-in, or to go, and the setup is actually designed for them to be primarily takeaway.

The drink menu is broken into 6 categories: mango smoothies, coconut smoothies, yogurt smoothies, and Sparkling Drinks, teas, and "Thai Drinks" (you know, lychee butterfly pea smoothies, thai tea frappes, and the like). 

I went straight for the decadent looking smoothies.   Not that they are made with junk food or anything, but these are not healthy smoothies.  These are intense.

The mango smoothies are made with mango puree and fresh mango, and come blended with many different options: coconut sago on top, young coconut or pearls at the base, blended with coconut cream and purple sticky rice, topped with cheese foam, and more.  Maybe these are reasonably healthy?

The coconut versions are what caught my eye however, made with coconut cream.  I wanted ... most of them.  Taro coconut, which looked loaded with taro pase.  The coconut sago super mango, with small sago blended with the coconut cream, and tons of mango on top.  Um, the coconut creamy pandan.  The salted egg coco smoothie (!).

Foi Thong Pandan Coconut Smoothie with Taro Balls (+Purple Sticky Rice). $9.80.

But I went for the most decadent looking one of all: the foi thong pandan coconut smoothie with taro balls.  The photo boosted a creamy coconut smoothie, topped with pandan cream, lovely purple taro balls, and a nest of foi thong.  And because I'm crazy, I added purple sticky rice as well (note: they don't really support add-ins, unlike most drink shops, they have only a preset menu, no toppings menu, or structure for charging for additions.  But they are new, and did it for me).

My drink was very carefully made to order, the purple sticky rice, coconut cream, and ice blended up nicely.  And then, beautiful green pandan cream scooped on top, a mound of foi thong added, and taro balls somehow perched on top without them falling in.  A pandan leaf finished it off.  It really didn't take that long to assemble, but it was clear that care was put into it.

I was extremely impressed with my drink (er, dessert, who are we kidding, this is not a drink!), but I do admit that my addition of purple sticky rice actually wasn't a great decision.

The coconut smoothie was very good - it was creamy, rich, indulgent, refreshing, and quite coconut-y.  It was extremely well blended, icy in the right way.  I think it did have some pandan in the smoothie too?  The sticky rice was good - it was al dente the way I like, and was very well blended.  I actually really liked how it got a bit icy as the drink sat a bit, and it was exposed to the icy filling.  But ... as I said, I think it detracted.  I tasted it, and although I liked the chew, I actually just wanted to taste the pure flavors better, the pandan, the coconut cream, the taro.  Because they were good, and the rice kinda muddled it.  Definitely my fault on that one.  It was still good, don't get me wrong, but I'd leave it off in the future.

The smoothie was good, but the toppings were ... fabulous.  The pandan cream was extraordinary.  Such strong pandan flavor, such rich cream.  I think it might have been coconut based too?  The drink came with plenty of it, and, nutrition concerns aside, I was thrilled.  It made me immediately want to try the pandan crepes, as they come with a big dollop of it on top.

The taro balls however were the showstopper.  Simply the best I've ever had.  Soft yet not mushy, pliable in the right way, and lovely taro flavor.  These were just incredible.  Slightly out of place perched on top here, but I didn't care.  I loved them.  The taro balls are featured in a number of other desserts on the menu (including the combo mango sticky rice which has just about everything delicious imaginable in it).  I must get them in another application, stat!

Finally, the foi thong, which was fine, and slightly savory-ish, a nice compliment to the sweeter ingredients.  I did get the smoothie not sweet (50% or 100% were the choices), but it was definitely still quite sweet.

Overall, this was delicious, and made me instantly vow to return the next day, and made me wish I was there with a group to try many, many more things.

Taro Coconut Smoothie (+ Pandan Cream). $7.80 + $1.

I did literally return the next day.  I'll admit that I was craving a yogurt drink, and taro in particular, so Mango Coco wasn't really the best choice of venue (they do have some yogurt items, but, it isn't the feature, and I think likely coconut yogurt?), and they have only one item with taro, but ... I dunno, I couldn't get that pandan cream out of my head.

So I got the one taro drink on the menu, the taro coconut smoothie, and, uh, added pandan cream on top.  This time I was charged $1 for the addition, and was rewarded with a pretty serious mound of pandan cream.

The pandan cream was just as amazing as the previous day.  Such lovely pandan flavor, so fluffy, just, incredible.  Move over cheese foam toppings, you have met your match!  I do still love savory fluffy cheese foam toppings but ... this was pretty fantastic.

The smoothie though ... well, I guess it wasn't what I was in the mood for.  I also didn't realize it wouldn't be more taro forward, and that it wouldn't have any mashed or cubed taro in it.  Like I said, I was craving taro ...  The smoothie base was just coconut cream and ice blended, like all the coconut smoothies.  It was really well made, the ice pulverized, nicely icy, but ... it was very strongly coconut, and that wasn't what I was in the mood for.

The taro layer was on top, and ... I just didn't really taste it at all, even though it was a vibrant purple.  I think it was blended with coconut too?  I wanted more taro, and more texture.

So, this let me down, but not because it was poorly made.  I wanted a taro forward item, with chunks or paste, and didn't really want coconut ... my bad for not just going to get the taro yogurt from Koomi like I was intending ... but that pandan cream was so good I almost didn't care.

Food

And then there is the food lineup, sweet, savory, full meals, epic desserts, packaged grab n go ...

Savory

There is actually a full Thai savory food menu, with traditional Thai offerings (e.g your basic curries, noodle dishes, fried rice) but also fusion dishes, like tom yum spaghetti.  I wished they had some appetizers or smaller plates, because I would like to be able to get a small bite of savory before diving into a dessert fest, but alas, they seem to only do main dishes (or a papaya salad I guess).

Breads

The front counter has some assorted bakery items, I'm not sure if they make them themselves or not.  None looked particularly exciting, but I almost grabbed a pork floss bun (with chili jam or mayo), or a loaf of pork floss bread, so I'd have something savory.  At last minute, I grabbed some sweet buns "for later", or just in case my sweet treat wasn't appealing.

Pandan Custard Buns. $3.90.

Buns come in 4 flavors: pandan custard, Thai tea, butter sugar, or cream.  The sugar coated ones did look good, but, clearly, there was only one option: pandan!

Buns come 2 to a container, and, tbh, didn't actually look particularly special.  Even Breadtop  and 85* Bakery Cafe look better.

But still, come on, pandan custard was too tempting to pass up.  It was easy to know which one was pandan, with the bright green cream spilling out.

Pandan Custard Filling.

I eagerly ripped into one.

The bread was soft, fluffy, slightly sweet.  It would be better warm, or toasted (like with the lava toast or toast hot pots), but I really just wanted a vessel for pandan custard, and it served that purpose.  I did warm the second bun in my mini-oven, and as I expected, it was even better warm.

The pandan custard was not quite what I think of as a custard, as it was much looser.  It was very different from their pandan cream from the drinks, grainier, more concentrated, but also not quite as strongly flavored, if that makes any sense?  It was very very sweet.  The color was very bright green.

And there was tons of it.  The buns were stuffed to the brim.  Almost too much given how sweet it was, but when I added some of the more mild pandan cream as well, it tempered it nicely.

This custard I believe is the same that is found inside the pandan crepes.

I enjoyed the buns, and I liked them more than anything from the Asian bakeries around, but if I were getting just one thing, I wouldn't pick them.  They were great for a take-home item though.

Plated Desserts

The dessert lineup, for dine-in desserts, is, simply put, epic.  Pages and pages and pages of offerings.  And it is all illustrated, to make it *that* much harder to pick.

Sooo many lava toasts, including a durian one, with durian ice cream, durian lava, durian sauce, sticky rice, mango pearls, and fresh fruit ...  Pages of bingsu, like the Coconut Lod Chong Bingsu, with pandan rice flour droplets, coconut cream, coconut jelly, coconut palm sugar sauce.  Churros with dipping sauces.  Filled crepes (with mango and sticky rice inside, or durian, pandan custard!).  

And then, the puddings.  Coconut pudding, mango pudding, thai tea pudding, but, they are not just puddings.  Take the mango one for example.  Sure, there is mango pudding, but it comes with coconut ice cream, taro balls, coconut sticky rice, fresh mango, and coconut cream sauce.  Or just fresh mango, milk sago, and rich mango sauce if you want the simple version.  Or paired with a mango sticky rice crepe and mango sorbet, if you just can't make up your mind, and opt for the Mango Paradise.  Same with the coconut pudding.  Yes, there is a base of coconut pudding, but also young coconut meat, fresh mango, mango jelly, mango sauce, sago, and coconut creamy sauce.

It is enough to cause even a good decision maker decision paralysis.  Oh, wait, there is also crème brûlée.  Coconut and pandan version of course.  And it comes with berries, mango pearls, and coconut gelato.

But alas, I never got a chance to dine in for these epic things, mostly because they really aren't designed for a solo person. 

Packaged Desserts

Along with the bakery breads and cakes, Mango Coco also has some Thai desserts packaged up near the register.  Most looked like exactly the same as found at every other shop on the street, same containers even, and I don't think they make them there.

But they also had one clearly Mango Coco branded item.  Placed strategically all along the front counter, clearly designed to be an impulse buy item, and, hey, I succumbed.

Mango Sticky Rice To-go. $8.

"Mango sticky rice is a traditional Thai dessert made with glutinous rice, fresh mango and coconut milk."

While the real dessert menu has a slew of creations with mango and sticky rice in them (seriously, the combo one with mango pudding, coconut ice cream, taro balls, coconut sticky rice, fresh mango, coconut cream sauce ...),  they also have pre-packaged simple ones available for grab and go at the counter.

Of course I grabbed one.  The packaging was well done: a base was coconut sticky rice, above that was cubes of fresh mango, and the coconut milk was in a separate container.  Proportions seemed spot on.

This was definitely very good.  Many Thai places around have mango sticky rice, and I often get it as takeaway, and none have ever been this good.  The quality of the mango is what sets it apart.  So very juicy, so very ripe.  Seriously fantastic mango.

The rice was good, coconut milk infused, good chew to it, slightly sticky.  I wanted it warm, so I warmed it up myself at the hotel in my portable oven, and it was better than way.  The rice was good, but not remarkable.

The coconut milk/cream was pretty standard, I almost wanted it to be salted or something to jazz it up, but, this was just classic coconut milk and completed the traditional style of the dish.

To my (now warm) rice and mango, I added a dollop of pandan cream from my smoothie, and some of the coconut icey slush from my smoothie, and really adored my more fully composed creation.  It was almost like one of their own restaurant creations!  But even just as it was, room temp, the quality of the mango really made it a tasty enough item as served, and it would be a good choice for a quick grab n go.

Packaged Snacks

And finally, there are a few packaged snacks, not made by Mango Coco (I later realized when I saw the labels said "It's Time for Thai", and listed Newtown as the location).  I grabbed a few of these as well.

Golden Bird's Nest. $5.

Another impulse buy on my part.  I didn't really know what Golden Bird's Nest was, or why I'd want it exactly, but it looked like a crunchy snack?

Which, it was.  Made from threads of sweet potato, sugar, salt, oil.  It was super crispy, but very sweet.  I wasn't sure when I was supposed to want it.  It wasn't really a dessert, but it also wasn't really a snack as it was so sweet.

I could imagine using it as part of a dessert, sprinkling it on things, or even sprinkled on a spicy curry to cool it?

Crispy .... Something?

I also grabbed the other snack item, this one not labelled.

I asked if it was sweet or savory, and was told it was savory.  I think she even said it was made from beans or chickpeas.

But it was not savory.   It was sweet.  Kinda like a waffle cone, studded with black sesame seeds, and coated in sugar.  Very sweet, very crispy, and would be fun on an ice cream sundae.  But totally not what I was expecting.

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