Sassy's Red, Westfield Sydney

Exhilarating. Now that is one way to describe a lunchbreak right?

When your venue of choice is the food court at Westfield Sydney it surely is an exhilarating experience. One would think that all the hoopla would have died down but day in and day out that level 5 food court is bustling and hustling away. Its a one stop food wonderland, what ever your craving or your state.

Amongst the Burgers, The Sushi, The Snags and even the Spit Roast above - Sassy's Red has been holding its own among CBD dwellers, fixing everyone with their delectable Malaysian offerings. Located in a back corner of the food court the vibrant red walls, neon signage and almost kitschy asian decoration is quite eye catching. Sassy's space is a treasure trove in itself with the walls lined with colourful bottles of sauces. It is a break from the standard marble and leather set combination within the food court.

Oh look, a door in the ceiling. Standard. Which is why Sassy's is such a quirky lunchtime escape on its own. Owner Simon Goh's (Of Chinta Ria fame) elegant but fun touches are all around.

My go to dish at Sassy's is Donny's Chicken Rice. Donny's identity is somewhat of a mystery but this chicken rice of his is a gift to the masses. Nothing quite comforting like a serve of this and lucky for us Sassy's dont skimp on portions. The fragrant ginger rice is generously topped with pieces of juicy chicken with a crisp skin and the ginger throughout the dish cures every lunchtime ailment.

Menya Noodle Bar, Sydney CBD

Yo Stop.. Ramen time! Yes folks - as part of our growing CBD lunch escapades, I have developed a dangerous new addiction. Menya Noodle Bar in the heart of the city completes the CBD ramen trinity for me and is a fantastic place to kill some ramen cravings.

Crowds seated around the open kitchen

Most of the time we make the mistake of getting there during what I often refer to as lunch break peak hour. This place is heaving with hungry peeps patiently waiting for their ramen fix, so best try and hold off till a bit later after 1pm. Lucky for everyone involved, the service is super speedy and our big bowls of noodle goodness arrives in a flash.

Tori kara-age ramen with Natural Salt soup ($11.90)

Now really, do you think I would order anything else? With a big bowl of the most flavoursome soup and a more than generous serving of crispy succulent chicken, you just can't say no. The broth is a natural salt based soup made from a combination of rock salt, chicken and fish broth - beware of the dehydration that ensues after consumption, make sure you have a bottle of ice tea handy. These soups are pretty good for getting rid of those lunch time hunger pangs. Big servings of noodles, flavoursome soup and copious amounts of toppings will be sure to fill up the hungriest of those ramen raiders and CBD lunchers alike.  

Menya Box - Terriyaki Chicken $10.90 

Our lunches have become quite the family affair with my mom, Mrs Fridgemagnet walked over from her office to join the lunch date. Her no fail pick is the Menya Box which is pretty good value for $10.50. A big portion of tasty Terriyaki Chicken, Miso Soup, Green Salad and unlimited rice refills. The Menya box is available with Chicken Kara-age, Chilli Beef, Teriyaki Fish and also Salmon Sashimi for $2 extra.

And of course, where there is food - my brother of Pho-An food trip fame also appears during his uni break! His favourite is the Cha-shu lover's ramen with miso soup. This broth consists of the same special chicken and seafood stock but infused with miso paste. It is a very strong flavour that goes so well with the slices of roast pork this dish is served with. This bowl comes in at $12.50

Demos' ramen du jour is the Chilli beef ramen at $11.50. This bowl is packed with a spicy flavour hit and generously topped with tender strips of beef, spring onions and chilli. The shoyu based soup is made by combining soy sauce with seafood and chicken stock and is really well balanced. The clear void is devoid of any 'funkyness' and just tastes amazing with that kick given by the fresh chilli. It's a very hearty soup given that there is a decent amount of beef to eat as well as noodles and of course the soupy goodness. Add a bit of rooster sauce to give things a bit of napalm flair and you have a winner. 

More of that Kara-age ramen to tempt you... 

Gumshara Ramen, Chinatown & Ichi Ban Boshi, Galleries Victoria - A tale of two Sydney Ramen Houses

Ramen Cravings - once it hits you on a cold winters night, it is the hardest to shake off. I know that when the cold gets into my bones I most certainly become a slave to ramen hallucinations. Some of you may find this familiar.. your sitting at home, minding your own business and watching SVU - then you get a bit chilly. As you search around the home for a spare blanket in the ad break.. you notice a big steaming bowl casually following you and tip toeing around behind you. This is how the ramen cravings creep.  You think your safe...but in the blink of an eye that imaginary bowl of salty and eggy noodles has jumped behind you and has got you in a chokehold. There really is no escape now!

I have two game plans to help combat these very common hallucination and I am a firm believer that all cravings must be appeased, imaginary ramen wrestlers have quite the grip on the old chokehold. Gumshara Ramen at the Eating World Complex in Chinatown and Ichi Ban Boshi at the Galleries Victoria CBD are two distinct places where one can conceed to the cravings and get a ramen fix. They are very different from one another and many people are divided as to which they prefer. Admittedly, there will always be a faithful following at each venue. 

 Gumshara Ramen is traditionally speaking, the more authentic of the pair. This is where the hardcore ramen aficionado's flock to. Before I start waxing lyrical - I need to stop to acknowledge my ramen illiterate readers. Ramen is a Japanese noodle soup. No, it is not "just like fancy maggi two minuite noodles". Ramen is a delicious, salty, hearty, eggy, broth based noodle soup and studies have shown that is the lifeforce of human kind. 

 Gumshara's legendary tonkotsu broth is an intensive labour of love - pork bones are boiled for days to create the thick, collagen enriched miso base. This thick, cloudy and super rich soup coats each noodle strand and in a matter of seconds you slip into a delicious food trance. if you listen closely you can hear your belly thank you after every spoonful. I was lucky enough to order the pork spare rib with my tokotsu ramen ($14.50) there is a 10 serving limit each day. And of course, to add to the collagen richness I couldn't say no to a gooey soft boiled egg topping.

 Demos had his eyes on my pork rib slab but was content in the Tokotsu ramen toppeD with BBQ pork ($13) slices and load of chilli oil and flakes.

The Dip, GoodGod Small Club CBD

"Ohh no...not the DIP!!!!"

Children of the 80's and 90's would remember this riveting line being yelled out by Jessica Rabbit in "Who framed Rodger Rabbit?" -  it's one of my favourite movies of all time. Growing up at my grandmothers place in Los Angeles, I always had my betamax copy of that movie on repeat. If I behaved at my Grandma's I would be rewarded with a foil wrapped chilli dog from one of the many outlets around downtown LA. Score!

Sydney has always been light on good hotdog options. I've replaced my Rodger Rabbit betamax with the DVD, but I have always been hard pressed finding the perfect hotdog here. Enter "The Dip".. my inner 5 year old lit up upon finding out that increasingly popular eatery inside GoodGod Small club was not only referencing my favourite movie, but was also a late night eatery.

Now before we delve into hotdog territory, here's the Southern Smoke  sandwich ($12). Now can there be anything sexier than a 12 hour smoked and pulled pork? The super soft and tasty pork was pulled into a burger bun with Barbeque Beans and an Apple and cabbage slaw.The burger is so delicious and in hindsight we should have ordered five of these.

Southern Smoke Sandwich and Lev's Dawg ($12)

"It's hotdog happy hour tonight.." one of the awesome staff members tell us, and was the best sounding news we have heard ALL DAY. Hotdogs make the world a happy place to live in and thank the hotdog gods that The Dip has recognised this. Hot damn these hot dogs were good, the sausage actually tasted like meat - not the rubber that you have to resort to when you have a hotdog craving and head to the nearest Wendy's for a shake and a dog. It happens to the best of us, friends - and this is what salvation tastes like. 

The kosher sausage is smoked, and not sitting in a vat of water and rolled in heat plates like the Shell or Caltex variety. Theres some charred goodness present, topped with fresh tomato salsa, peppers, and the same mustard they use in sidewalk hot dogs stands in the USA. It really is delicious and a fresh change from all the rancid hotdogs that people automatically think of when they see the word. Ladies love the levdog.

Demos smashing the pulled pork sandwich. 

When at the dip, go on an all out comfort food annihilation. 

Spice I Am, Surry Hills

Late night thai food cravings - we've all been hit by them at one point in time or another. But on this particular evening a craving for some thai food hit me like a ton of coconuts. Sure there are the other Thai street food haunts such as Home, House and Chat Thai - which we do frequent when these cravings can't be turfed - but I am a bit ashamed that this was my first visit to Spice I am. This Surry Hills fixture has been feeding the masses of hungry patrons since 2004, so what have I missed in the last 7 years? Plenty.

They were out of Thai Milk Tea that night so Demos opted for the Young Coconut Juice ($4.50) but not before attacking my Lemon Iced Tea first ($4.00)

A little bit of happy snapping while we wait of course.

Looking around and we see a constant turnover of tables, it really is a busy place! Now I have to clarify for you curious observers - there are 2 Spice I am's in Sydney and we are at the bustling "original" and more relaxed location on Wentworth Avenue, Surry Hills. There is a fancier Spice I am restaurant in Victoria Street, Darlinghurst. Chef's Padet Nagsalab and Sujet Saenkham really created a food institution and the writing is on the wall with several food award displayed.

The busy dining space at Spice I Am 

Chicken Pad Thai $13.90

Now, for what we are for - annihilating the food cravings.

Chicken Pad Thai is just one of those standard dishes that we tend to order when at Thai. Doesn't everyone? Demos has the obsession of finding Sydney's best Pad  Thai - I guess its a dish that takes us back to our broke uni days where we would live on this dish. The Pad Thai on offer is a very substantial portion and could easily be shared by a group. The noodles are not oily and the flavours are not overpowering - a tasty dish. Snaps for not being stingy on the chicken too, as my pet hate is pad thai with minimal protien and peanuts.

Fried Rice with Crab Meat $17.50  

Mamak - Malaysian Roti and Satay, Haymarket

Mention 'Mamak' to anyone and most immediately ask "How long did you line up for?" Synonymous with queues late into the night, Mamak is a Sydney institution - and the returning crowds that wait outside the battered pathway down Goldburn St night after night are a testament to this.