Archive for the ‘Sydney’ Category
The MSG does Sydney – Ryo’s, Klink and Menya
While the Melbourne vs. Sydney rivalry will probably never die, I do occasionally visit our northern cousins and revel in the things that they do lord over us. We may have better coffee, bars, arts, sport, character and various particular cuisines, but unquestionably, Sydney has its fine dining scene, beautiful harbour, beaches, Thai food and ramen to lord over us.
Here is but a smattering of the places I visited in Sydney that I feel like writing about.
Ryo’s
125 Falcon StNorth Sydney NSW 2060, Australia
(02) 9955 0225 urbanspoon foursquare
Alex’s Ratings
Taste: 9
Value: 9.5
Authenticity: 9
Ambience: 7. Small, cramped, long lines and backless seating, but what can you expect?
Service: 7.
Overall: 9.
Klink Handmade Espresso
urbanspoon
Klink is a tiny place located in a fairly cool art gallery in Sydney’s CBD. I actually recommend you check out the art gallery as well, it has some interesting modern pieces, but I’m no art expert so I can say little more about that. As for Klink, I love the place itself and felt very comfortable there despite the hated backless bar stools they use. The place seats about 10 people, it’s that small, but very interestingly designed. There’s a window next to the coffee bar which dominates the space and is used for takeaways. The other dominant element is the massive wall of mounted empty coffee sacks, from various different green varietals. The machine is a 2 (or 3? I forget) group La Marzocco and the coffee is roasted by The Golden Cobra, who I believe are run by an ex-Campos guy. The coffee wasn’t amazing. It was drinkable, but nothing approaching the quality of Mecca Espresso or The Source. But the staff are super friendly and even remembered me from one visit, which I find quite impressive. All in all, a pleasant place that’s somewhat different and with drinkable coffee. Why not?
Alex’s Ratings: Coffee Taste: 7 Ambience: 8.5. This would be 9 if not for the backless stools. Service: 9 Overall: 7.85
Menya Shop TG8, 8 Quay Street, Haymarket NSW 2000 (02) 9212 1020 web foursquare urbanspoon
MOAR Ramen! Menya in fact has three outlets – Chinatown, CBD and Circular Quay – and I selected one that was both convenient and fairly highly regarded. The place has an entirely different feel to Ryo’s. Ryo’s felt secluded, familyish, cosy and authentic whereas Menya felt professional, a business-style churn out of ramen with a snappy girl at the front desk and a tendency to herd diners into the massive communal tables that comprise most of the restaurant’s space. Needless to say, Ryo’s was a much more pleasant experience. The same goes for the ramen. While Menya also provided a quality tonkotsu, the chashu just wasn’t as good as at Ryo’s and neither was the broth as falvoursome. Having said that, Menya could still compete with the best ramen joints in Melbourne and probably be superior to all of them except for maybe Ramen Ya, so that makes it well worth a visit. Alex’s Ratings: Taste: 8 Ambience: 5. Cramped, herded like cattle, backless benches at an overcrowded communal table. This is Sydney at it’s finest. No discernible quality or attention to detail in the design either. But hey, it was clean! Service: 6. Impersonal, snappy and fast. Value: 7.5. Still can’t beat such great ramen for a lunchtime meal. Authenticity: 7.5. The place seemed far more authentically Chinatown than Kyoto but the tonkotsu was solid. Overall: 7.5. Wouldn’t make it if not for the taste, which is what matters at the end of the day.
