Battambang Cambodian, Cabramatta (Secret Sydney)

Battambang restaurant in Cabramatta is on the eastern side of town (sometimes even called Khmer side).  It's  much quieter and sleepier, most people don't even notice this side of town it's so discreet.  Dong Vu, Won Kee (although it's Chinese-Cambodian), Dong Son and even the relatively new Bayon are all on the western side of town and have much greater awareness and visibility.  Don't confuse this with the sister Battambang restaurant on the western side of Cabramatta, that one is off John Street.



Battambang restaurant in Cabramatta is named after the second largest city in Cambodia, known as the leading rice producer of the country and a commercial hub attracting Thais, Laos, Chinese and of course Cambodian traders.

Many have heard of Phnom Penh noodles and that's the dish that I love here - the 'dry' version where the soup comes separately.  As you can see in the video and photo above the lovely glutinous rice noodles come out dry with many types of meat and offal and congealed blood (you get alot of it in many south east Asian food).  The noodles are flavoured by a nice, salty dark sauce and the meat is also saltier than usual - it should be this way because dry noodles do not get the benefit of flavour that comes from the soup.

Speaking of soup, that comes in a separate bowl, it's clear with some coriander and shallots as garnish.  You can take a mouthful of the noodles at the same time a mouthful of soup.  Or you can take them in separate mouthfuls.  I prefer the latter because you can fully appreciate the dry noodles and meat.

This is another Secret Sydney post. Secret Sydney is a new noodlies Sydney food blog project to uncover authentic, diverse food and culture all around Sydney.

Battambang Cambodian Restaurant
Shop 4, 156-158 Cabramatta Rd, CABRAMATTA
Phone: (02) 9724 7307

PS: In the video, the fried breadsticks brought out is an optional extra, not a complimentary side dish.

Hayat Assyrian Restaurant, Fairfield (Secret Sydney)

It's unique Assyrian food, brought out on a trolley, the servings are huge and it all comes to $31, what more could you ask for?!

Hayat restaurant has been opened for a few months in the eclectic end of the Crescent in Fairfield near Al-Dhiaffah Al-Iraqi Restaurant and Bollywood Chinese.



It's obviously a function centre by it's size and the decor.  It's Tuesday night and Walter and I are the only ones in the place.  Although the benefit is that we get instant and efficient service.

The Qoozi & Tabsee as explained by the waitress is rice with almond and sultana with a boiled lamb shank.  It's a mild dish with minimal spices but I liked the starchy consistency of the rice.  Together with the lamb, this in itself is a hearty meal.

The mixed plate was delicious, it's pretty standard kebab chicken, lamb and beef.  The hummus was a special treat, much coarser consistency and spicier than I've had and very, very good.  The picked vegetables were very sour and something I'm not too used to.

While the chicken and potato curry was more a spicy, thick tomato soup. Again starchy but delicious.

They were sweet in offering us some complimentary black tea, nicely scented and beautifully presented, lovely with some sugar.

If you like your meat and you're game to try something different, then I think you're ready for Hayat restaurant.

This is another Secret Sydney post. Secret Sydney is a new noodlies Sydney food blog project to uncover authentic, diverse food and culture all around Sydney.

Hayat Restaurant
5 The Crescent, Fairfield
9727 2223

U.E. Chinese Restaurant, Cabramatta (Secret Sydney)

UE wins the title of hardest restaurant to find in Cabramatta and that's saying something because there's a few hidden eateries in Cabra town.  Entry is via a street off the main drag, there's minimal signage and you have to go down a tiny, dark alley, dodging abruptly swinging toilet doors and you finally reach U.E. Chinese restaurant.  Watch this noodlies Sydney food blog video and you get a feel for the tomb raider adventure you go through to get to this restaurant.



I've got no idea what U.E stands for, but the restaurant serves Chinese style egg noodles (Vietnamese go for the rice noodles called pho).  We weren't given a menu but a quick scan of the hand written signage stuck to the walls (check out the video) confirms that egg noodle soup is there specialty.  And it's traditional Chinese egg noodles so wonton and boiled duck or beef are all catered for, the relatively version of crispy skin chicken made famous by restaurants like Tan Viet are too much of an innovation.

Walter ordered the wonton version, which was strong in prawn flavours, so be warned if you're not a fan of seafood.  The soup was clear and sweet, shallots and garlic chives adding additional bite.  I recommend adding some fresh chilli for that extra kick.  Remember to dip the wonton into the provided chilli sauce if you want extra spice.

The soup in my duck noodles were darker, no doubt coloured by the meat, which was a tad over cooked and making the skin soggy and flesh a little tough.  My bowl also contained extra offal which made the whole experience rather busy.  The egg noodles were thick and strong, very much to my taste.

Tan Viet and other noodle places can relax, while U.E. may win the crown for the most impossible restaurant to find, it's not quite there in the best restaurant when it comes to the noodles.  On the plus side, it's a fun adventure just getting there and might be a good choice when all the other places are packed.

It's been around for a couple of decades by my reckoning, so it must be doing something right.

This is another Secret Sydney post. Secret Sydney is a new noodlies Sydney food blog project to uncover authentic, diverse food and culture all around Sydney.

U.E. Chinese Restaurant
4A/117 John Street (Enter via Hill St)
Cabramatta
9727 0014

Inner Space Centre, Wilton (Secret Sydney)

We're surrounded by ceaseless chatter, at work, home and even when we're on our own it's facebook or twitter and even with the computer off, the chatter continues inside our head, words, thoughts, dreams, gossip...

This weekend Walter and I escaped to the Inner Space Centre for Spiritual Learning for a silent retreat, 42 hours of silence to be exact from 7pm Friday night.  Inner Space is in luscious Wilton, about an hour's drive south of Sydney.  It's run by the Brahma Kumaris.  Here, there's no TV, internet and no mobile reception, just nature, vegetable garden (above), rain water tanks, vegetarian food, mediation, self reflection and, of course, 42 hours of silence.

Behind the pond and greenery from the picture above is our spartan but comfortable room.  All up there were over 30 participants some looking to de-stress, others to get in touch with themselves and some to take a selfish time out.

On the first night we learnt about the power of silence.  For me it was learning that silence is not just the words you utter with your mouth, but also the chatter in your head.  I also learnt when you are silent you can begin to listen to others... and to yourself.

In that silence, I realise how 'violent' rushed, daily activities can be, the harsh sounds of doors slamming, feet stamping, glasses clinking.  It was a good reminder for me to slow down and take deliberate, loving movements.  It was wonderful, now, I'm back home and still feel energised and at peace.

We also ate well and healthy with replenishing vegetarian meals like the potato curry, papadum above.

Baked pasta with garden fresh salads.

And an extra favourite of mine, kiwi fruit cheesecake.

I was astounded by the generosity of the Brahma Kumaris (BKs) who put on the weekend including accommodation and meals, free for all participants.  Of course, we were encouraged to donate within our means, but I was touched by how generous this gesture was.  And for them not using it as a platform to recruit people.  Of course, I don't know enough about the BKs to recommend them, but I can say their actions this weekend demonstrated a kind loving action.

And of course, if you do go there for a silent retreat, I would encourage you to donate to cover the cost of food and accommodation.

This is another Secret Sydney post. Secret Sydney is a new noodlies Sydney food blog project to uncover authentic, diverse food and culture all around Sydney.

Inner Space Centre for Spiritual Learning
FREE - but donations appreciated
(and I'd highly recommend it given their wonderful generosity)
150 Macarthur Drive Wilton
(02) 4630 8124

Bollywood Chinese - Halal, Fairfield (Secret Sydney)

Did a double-take when I saw the sign Bollywood Chinese Kitchen, upon closer inspection I read that it was also halal.  Apparently, Indian-Chinese as this cuisine is known is Chinese food that has been adapted to Indian tastes.  This means additional Indian spices like cumin and turmeric.  Previously in Liverpool, Bollywood Chinese Kitchen has recently moved to Fairfield - wedged between an Iraqi restaurant and the Assyrian resource centre.  We had to try it.



Inside the place looks like any suburban Chinese takeaway; the plain layout, simple table and chairs, a small slot to pass through food that's covered with a curtain.  And there's the plain menu, printed in on computer and slotted under the glass table top; chop suey, wanton (sic) soup, Mongolian chicken, beef in black bean sauce... you get my drift.

But look carefully and there's some hidden surprises; butter chicken, sambal chicken.  And so we did try the butter chicken.  It's much spicier than the sweet and yellow/red versions I'm used to.  This one is almost brown and strongly flavoured with turmeric and cumin.

The Sichuan chicken was a collision of hot Indian spices and Sichuan chilli hotness making it one of the hottest dishes in a local Chinese I've tasted.  Again the Indian spices delivered a strange mix of tastes.

The fried noodles with beef, a version of char kway teow was much plainer than the original, much of the Asian flavouring including soy has been toned down.

Prices were on the high end of suburban Chinese but in their defence, the servings are very, very large.

Secret Sydney is a new noodlies Sydney food blog project to uncover authentic, diverse food and culture all around Sydney.

Bollywood Chinese Kitchen
11 The Crescent, Fairfield NSW
02 9755 5821