Reviews by benchiees

This review is for Arisun, Haymarket NSW

verified email - 23 Oct 2012

Mmmmmmm this place has the BEST fried chicken ever. DO NOT miss it if you go there.

My friend and I had the 'fried chicken with soy sauce' which was ranked #1 on the menu, and it was delicious - beautifully crispy on the outside but still tender inside served with gorgeous sweet soy sauce. For $30 my friend and I were hesitant to order it but as the menu suggested it was their signature dish/ some kind of trademark of the restaurant we thought we might as well try it. And boy were we glad we did! Not only was the flavour amazing but the actual serving size was massive - about 15-20 pieces (when we were expecting

This review is for The Great Bagel & Coffee Company, Castle Hill NSW

verified email - 03 Oct 2012

I love having a cafe dedicated to bagels!

It's a cute little place in the middle of Castle Towers. It's a nice atmosphere when I visited with my mum to have lunch, and they have comfy little booth tables which was nice.

Their menu range isn't massive, but is just the right size as pretty much all the items sounded pretty good - classics as well as unique combinations. There was a bit of everything and I even had a bit of a hard time deciding what to order. In the end I ordered the smoked salmon + cream cheese bagel on multigrain and it was delicious :) - generous amount of fillings considering a bagel isn't that big anyway.

Didn't give more than 3 stars for value though just because the prices didn't scream out 'bargain!', but were as expected. Bagels mains were about $10 and chicken schnitzel/beef burger +fries meals were about $15. Not including drinks, but again, not too bad.

Try it out for a light meal or snack when at Towers!

Approximate cost: $10

This review is for Yong Jing's Kitchen Enlightenment, Kingsford NSW

verified email - 01 Oct 2012

This place is great for quick, generous servings of tasty Asian food.

Most servings are HUGE for the price - hence the 5 star rating I gave for value :)

FOOD - I had the 'twice cooked marinade pork with rice' which was a good serving size for the price ($8) and very tasty. However there was a lot of fat compared to actual pork meat - I guess the price made sense of that. We also had a beef congee which was $7.50 for a small but actually turned out really big - I couldn't finish it! The quality was average I guess, but you can add your own condiments to adjust to your taste.

Menu - MASSIVE range with about 15 pages of Chinese, Thai, Indonesian and Korean dishes. If you're looking for your favourite Chinese dish they'll most probably have it. In saying that, they also have a tonne of different, creative dishes when you feel like something new.

PRICES - simply love them. Main dishes start from $6 and mostly stay under $10. With no surprise, soft shell crab is the most expensive item on the menu, but still very reasonable and not to mention DELICIOUS.
Plus show your UNSW ID and only pay half price! They sure know how to please hungry, money-tight students :)

SERVIE - so quick: 3 meals came out in less than 5mins!
But then again the place only about half full. The restaurant is quite small so during peak lunch and dinner hours don't expect a table straightaway, but it's very cosy and has a local laid back feel.

The waitress who served us was cheerful and smiled the entire time, and was very friendly while taking our order and serving the food.

Come here to satisfy those mid-week cravings for tasty Asian on a low budget.

Approximate cost: $8

This review is for Wowcow, Parramatta NSW

verified email - 27 Sep 2012

So many rotating flavours! Chai and apple crumble are my faves!! They have some really interesting toppings too like mango pearls.

Compared to other frozen yoghurt places Wowcow is a little on the expensive side @ $1 per topping, but the yoghurt on its own is quite reasonably priced so it evens out.
You can also mix the different flavours of yoghurt that they have in the one cup so you get a bit of everything :)

The service was impeccable too. All staff were friendly and smiley, and offered free samples of every flavour they had on that day. Also when I went the manager made the experience outstanding when I thought I had been given the wrong flavour to what I ordered and he tasted both to see what it was. Turns out I was wrong, but he still offered me a whole new serving with free toppings just for my confusion/trouble. He did anything to make sure I left as a happy customer - and I definitely did!

Approximate cost: $6

This review is for Moochi - Natural Frozen Yoghurt, Strathfield NSW

verified email - 27 Sep 2012

Though I'm not from the area, I regularly come here with friends after uni or even just from home (out west). You'll always see a long line here, even in the coldest of winter!

The actual yoghurt is delicious and the toppings always look fresh and appealing.

Their main competitor - Noggi - is just around the corner and while both spots are always packed with the line reaching way out onto the street, Moochi is still my favourite because of the mochi topping and their range on the menu, which includes churros and a variety of interesting drink options.

Price isn't exactly "cheap", it's as expected for a quality frozen yoghurt place but it's worth it trust me!

This review is for Mancini's, Summer Hill NSW

verified email - 27 Sep 2012

Excellent service! Our waiter was attentive, polite and just a pleasure to have serve us.

The pizza had a very authentic wood fired flavour (obviously they are a wood fired pizza place) and was nice and tasty. I ordered the veal for myself and it was delicious and saucy, I was quite full at the end so the serving size was generous.

Prices are average if not a little steep, but nothing ridiculous. My veal was about $22 which is okay compared to other Italian restaurants serving a similar dish.

I also really liked the atmosphere inside, it felt classy yet cosy, sophisticated yet comfortable with dim-ish lights and a quiet relaxed ambience.

I'm not from the area so I probably would only go back if I were visiting Summer Hill again. But for locals who haven't tried it, I say give it a go!

This review is for MC Golden Tower, Haymarket NSW

verified email - 27 Sep 2012

This is my regular go-to spot for tasty, cooked-to-order Chinese food when in Market City. I say don't bother with the '3 choices with rice' deal they have. It's okay but you're not getting the full treatment as it's not fresh/cooked to order and the choices are boring and standard like honey chicken or sweet n sour pork. Which are okay I guess, but not great.

You really have to order one of their noodle soups, stir-fry noodles or fried rice/rice w bbq to get a taste of their talent. Super quick cooking times, bold and flavoursome taste and meal prices mostly $7-10 keep me coming back to this place over others.
Even laksa is around $8!

Service is pretty much a "NEXT WAITING" kind of deal, but who really cares in a food court when you're that hungry and the food is that good?

Approximate cost: $8

This review is for Lusso Italian, Rouse Hill NSW

verified email - 27 Sep 2012

The waiters were on the ball at Lusso, very attentive and friendly. I only had a coffee here with a few friends so I can't really say anything about the food.
However the drinks that we did order came out very quickly, considering there were quite a few other tables who came in around the same time as us.

I really like the atmosphere of the place as well, dim and relaxing, almost romantic. We sat outside by the heaters and under the umbrellas which was very comfy in winter.

Would come back again to try their actual food one time :)

This review is for Wok On Inn, Rouse Hill NSW

verified email - 27 Sep 2012

Not so sure how I feel about this place since I had a mixed dinner experience when I went.

Firstly my boyfriend's laksa: It wasn't even edible, it was unusually sour, like it was off. And the texture of the soup was quite off-putting, clumpy and inconsistent.

HOWEVER, my prawn noodle soup was absolutely delicious! Beautiful taste, generous amount of prawns and other toppings. Finished every bit of it. Sorry to say my boyf didn't have the same experience lol.

Service was very friendly and patient, while we took aaaages to order. They were helpful and cheerful the whole experience. The actual interior of the shop is cute too, very cosy and comfortable.

Would come back again, just not for the laksa.

This review is for Basil & Lime, Mount Druitt NSW

verified email - 27 Sep 2012

Top notch Thai food!

This tiny little shop in Westfield doesn't look like anything special when you walk past, but don't be fooled. Be ready to line up for a while, cos this place is usually packed inside or busy with takeaway orders. Very popular and for good reason. For a small simple shop near the supermarket section they do unexpectedly good Thai and other Asian dishes.

TRY THEIR LAKSA - surprisingly, the best I've had in Sydney. (And that's a huge call).

Prices are okay, not too bad but remember they are in Westfield - they'll always be a little more expensive in a complex than on the street.

Approximate cost: $12