Helen Yee

Helen Yee

Articles (14)

The best sandwiches in Sydney right now

The best sandwiches in Sydney right now

Sandwiches? Well, they're the best thing to come out of slicing bread. Here, the criteria is pretty simple: very good things in between two very good slices of well-sliced bread. No burgers, bagels, scrolls and banh mi (they’re a league of their own). No half-hearted strings of romaine here, no siree. I'm pretty passionate about sandwiches and spend my weekends hunting down my next crush. Below, you’ll find the most delicious sambos in town, from rainbow salad sandwiches to monster Reubens and classic chicken numbers. 'Wich on, friends. Stay in the loop: sign up for our free Time Out Sydney newsletter for more news, food & drink inspo and activity ideas, straight to your inbox. Want more budget food? Here are the best cheap eats in Sydney right now. Heading our later? Check out our ultimate guide to the best restaurants in Sydney.
The 68 best cheap eats in Sydney right now

The 68 best cheap eats in Sydney right now

Summer 2024 update: Life is already expensive but it gets turned up a notch at this silly and joyous time of year. But the good news is that you don’t need to stay home every night and survive on frozen pizza, thanks to our city’s incredible cheap eats. The best bit? Often they rival any dishes you would find in a fancy fine diner. We’ve rounded up the top places with prices that won’t burn a hole in your wallet, including new Thai-Chinese eatery Ama, pasta palace Str’Eats Pasta Bar (with plates starting from $10) and our forever fave, Spicy Joint. Because life’s too short to eat sh*t food. Going out for a meal is sometimes a big occasion, worth the splurge. But it doesn't have to be that way. From banh mi to tonkotsu ramen, biang biang noodles to vegan burgers, and pretty much everything else in between, some of Sydney's greatest culinary hits are the cheapest. Time Out Sydney critics and local food writers, including Food & Drink Editor Avril Treasure, have eaten their way around town to bring you this list, and while cheap isn't what it used to be, there are still lots of excellent affordable venues to check out. These are the ones well worth their salt. Stay in the loop: sign up for our free Time Out Sydney newsletter for more news, food & drink inspo and activity ideas, straight to your inbox. Want to spend less at the big-ticket players? Check out our cheap fine-dining hacks.
The best Greek restaurants in Sydney

The best Greek restaurants in Sydney

The Greek Islands are heaven on earth, and Athens is one of the world’s greatest cities. But if a holiday in the Mediterranean isn’t on the horizon, Sydney’s top Greek restaurants will help fill the dolmade-shaped hole in your heart. Time Out Sydney’s food writers and editors, including Food & Drink Editor Avril Treasure (who just came back from a hot girl summer in Milos), have rounded up the best Greek restaurants in town. So, how did we narrow down the list? Well, below you’ll find everything from Sydney stalwart The Apollo (and its much-loved saganaki and slow-roasted lamb shoulder) to an old-school gyros joint where you can smash grilled Greek pita bread jammed with crisp, fatty pork bits. But they all had two things in common: they’re delicious and sing the flavours of Greece. Stay in the loop: sign up for our free Time Out Sydney newsletter for more news, food & drink inspo and activity ideas, straight to your inbox. If you're working on a budget try one of the best cheap eats in Sydney.  After Italian? Here's our guide to the tastiest Italian restaurants in Sydney. Keep eating at the absolute best restaurants in Sydney.
The best charcoal chicken shops in Sydney

The best charcoal chicken shops in Sydney

Sydney has a serious appetite for chicken – preferably the charcoal kind. It seems every suburb has a fave charcoal chook shop, so there are literally hundreds of great options across the city, but we've covered a fair bit of ground to bring you this guide to chicken shops that will never disappoint when you're keen for a fast and affordable feed. Whether Lebanese, Portuguese or none of the above, these spots all serve up chicken with moreish chicken skin and sides worth a starring role. Of course the institutions are featured, but so are my neighbourhood favourites – is yours on the list? Want more? Check out the Sydney's best restaurants right now. If you're looking to tighten your belt just a notch, check out our list of the city's best cheap eats. 
The best noodle soups in Sydney

The best noodle soups in Sydney

There are few things more satisfying than hunkering down with a bowl of piping hot noodle soup. The basic broth and noodle combination is a staple in so many cuisines for good reason. Apart from the obvious deliciousness, the steaminess and hydration factor help to relieve cold symptoms, it certainly helps that the broth is often laden with immunity-boosting ingredients like garlic and ginger. Not that we need an excuse.  Whether you prefer your bowl filled with rich tonkotsu, deeply herbal pho, or scattered with tongue-numbing Sichuan pepper, there’s no shortage of soupy goodness in Sydney. Here are our favourite noodle soups to warm your cockles, rounded up by Time Out Sydney's writers and fellow noodle-soup lovers, including Food & Drink Editor Avril Treasure. Stay in the loop: sign up for our free Time Out Sydney newsletter for more news, food & drink inspo and activity ideas, straight to your inbox. RECOMMENDED: These are the best Thai restaurants in Sydney right now Check out our guide to the top Chinese restaurants in town
The 30 best Japanese restaurants in Australia right now

The 30 best Japanese restaurants in Australia right now

Australians have a slight obsession with Japanese food. From silky bowls of ramen and glossy slithers of sashimi to crispy gyoza and bite-sized sushi rolls, we’d go to great lengths for a taste of Tokyo. Luckily, you don’t need to splurge on a ticket to Tokyo, since we’re blessed with some of the finest Japanese restaurants Down Under. Steeped in precision and ancient traditions, Japanese cuisine is a meticulous art form in its own right. In Australia, you’ll find highly awarded chefs firing Kobe beef right before your eyes, grandmas pouring fragrant teas and sake in cosy izakayas, and new-wave cooks serving high-end sashimi in exquisite omakases. Whether you’re after no-frills or all of the frills, here are some of the best Japanese restaurants in Australia. 🍽 All the best restaurants in Australia🐠 The best fish and chips in Australia🍕Where to find the best pizza in Australia
The best Filipino restaurants in Sydney

The best Filipino restaurants in Sydney

Filipino food is influenced by a variety of culinary cultures from around the world, taking cues from Chinese, Japanese and Spanish cuisine. But make no mistake, the dishes that are born and bred in the Philippines have a distinct deliciousness all their own. For example, there’s the famous adobo (meaning ‘marinade’ in Spanish), a dish of either chicken or pork, marinated in a mixture of soy sauce and vinegar. And then, of course, there’s halo halo (meaning ‘mixed together’ in Filipino), a cheeky dessert containing ice shavings, evaporated milk and trimmings like sweetened beans, coconut gel and ube ice cream. And don’t even get us started on crispy pata – a perfectly deep-fried pork leg, served with a soy-vinegar dipping sauce – or sinigang, a delicious sour broth of vegetables and meat of your choice. The list truly goes on and on... Lucky for you, we've shortened it to the best places to get your Filipino food fix in Sydney, curated by Time Out Sydney's critics and full-time eaters. Stay in the loop: sign up for our free Time Out Sydney newsletter for more news, food & drink inspo and activity ideas, straight to your inbox. On the hunt for a bargain? These are the best cheap eats in Sydney.
The best Malaysian restaurants in Sydney

The best Malaysian restaurants in Sydney

Whether your pick is a fiery laksa with plump prawns and honeycomb-like tofu, nasi lemak with coconut rice, funky sambol and crispy anchovies, tender and comforting Hainanese chicken rice or hot AF chilli crab, Malaysian food has got it going on. Time Out Sydney's critics, including Food & Drink Editor Avril Treasure, have slurped (and scooped) their way around town – and here's where to get your roti on, Sydney-style. Stay in the loop: sign up for our free Time Out Sydney newsletter for more news, food & drink inspo and activity ideas, straight to your inbox. Want more? Check out the most delicious Indonesian restaurants in Sydney. After a bargain bite to eat? Here are the best cheap eats in Sydney. Or if you just need a drink, these are Sydney's coolest bars.
The best Japanese restaurants in Sydney to book right now

The best Japanese restaurants in Sydney to book right now

Japanese food isn't just made to be eaten. It's an art of vibrantly coloured cuts of fresh fish, delicately layered condiments and the showmanship of an itamae (a sushi chef dishing up umami bites right in front of your table). And so it’s good that, thanks to all of the incredible Japanese chefs gracing our shores, we are never short of options here in Sydney. From the sushi roll lunch-run to the full sashimi-laden dego, Time Out Sydney's critics, including Food & Drink Editor Avril Treasure, have found the best of the best – here’s where to do Japanese in the city. Stay in the loop: sign up for our free Time Out Sydney newsletter for more news, food & drink inspo and activity ideas, straight to your inbox. Keep the culinary experience going with this list of Sydney's best ramen. Feel like heat? Check out our guide to the finest Thai spots around town.
The best places to eat in Sydney's Inner West

The best places to eat in Sydney's Inner West

Sydney's Inner Western suburbs have a well-earned reputation as the boho bloc of the city, with arty enclaves in places like Balmain, Marrickville and the rainbow streets of Newtown, where Sydney's counterculture communities still thrive in spite of soaring property prices. And with those creative energies comes a whole plethora of good eats to fuel the community spirits of the Inner West. Workday lunches could be anything from Egyptian street food to dumplings, tamales or banh mi, and when you don't feel like cooking dinner, there's pretty much no corner of the globe or price point not catered to. Want to eat on one of the city's most respected fine diners? Sixpenny is hiding in the residential streets of Stanmore. New world pizza? Hit Bella Brutta in Newtown. Nigerian, Pakistani, or Mexican? Got them all. And if it's the first meal of the day that concerns you, we've got top-tier coffee to spare and avo toast enough to finance a first home owner's grant. If you're hungry in this 'hood, these are the best places to fill your tank. Jump to a section: RESTAURANTS CAFES PUBS 
The best sushi trains in Sydney

The best sushi trains in Sydney

You don’t need to top up your Opal for these trains. Kaiten-zushi (literal translation: rotation sushi, aka sushi trains) is a Japanese fast food trend that once looked to be just a blip on the Harajuku-obsessed radar of the 1990s. Instead, it grew roots in the Australian dining scene, as demand for fast, quality sushi continued to grow. And while there are some things that are ubiquitous across all track-based food delivery venues, there are also gems, if you know what to look for. Time Out Sydney's critics, including Food & Drink Writer Avril Treasure, have rounded up the best trains in town. All aboard! Not feeling like sushi? Try Sydney's best ramen or yum cha restaurants instead.
The best frozen desserts in Sydney

The best frozen desserts in Sydney

Hot summer days call for cold confections, but don’t just stop at ice cream. Beat the heat with these 12 frozen and icy desserts from around the world that you can get right here in Sydney. Other ace ways to cool down include a dip in Sydney's best ocean pools, a visit to our favourite beach kiosks, and an ice cream crawl for the best gelato in Sydney.

Listings and reviews (53)

Medan Ciak

Medan Ciak

4 out of 5 stars
Update: Indonesian restaurant Medan Ciak has moved from its Surry Hills location – you’ll now find the bright-orange eatery on Sussex Street in the CBD, as well as in Mascot. If you’re only going to get one dish, make it their nasi Padang, which comes with a mountain of rice, rich beef rendang, golden fried chicken, vegetable curry, crisp anchovies, a boiled egg topped with sambal and chilli chips. If you think that sounds delicious, you’d be right. Plus, it will set you back $18.90. – Avril Treasure Read on for our original review of Medan Ciak from 2021 by Helen Yee ***** Want cheap and homestyle Indonesian food? Head to Medan Ciak. It’s a favourite with Indonesian students and ex-pats - queues out the door are not uncommon, especially on weekends. There’s a reason for the frisson of excitement. Unlike most Indonesian restaurants across Sydney that focus on Javanese cuisine, here you’ll find the food of Medan, the North Sumatran capital known for its distinct mix of indigenous Batak, Malay and Chinese flavours. Expect lots of pork - Batak people are predominantly Christian rather than Muslim faith - including regular cameos by Chinese lap cheong sausage. You’ll find it scattered in the nasi goreng fried rice and the cah kwe tiau – fried flat rice noodles with barbecue pork, prawns, fish cake and egg that mirrors Malaysian char kway teow. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Medan Ciak (@medanciak) Whatever you do, make sure you order the barbec
Banh Cuon Ba Oanh

Banh Cuon Ba Oanh

5 out of 5 stars
Update: You’ll find excellent banh cuon at this Marrickville eatery. They specialise in soft rice noodle rolls that taste as good as the ones you’ll find in Northern Vietnam. – Avril TreasureRead on for our original review of Banh Cuon Ba Oanh from 2019 by Helen Yee.***** Never had banh cuon? You need to. These silky rice noodle rolls are a traditional Vietnamese breakfast staple, usually cooked at little roadside stalls as swarms of scooters zoom past. The newly opened Banh Cuon Ba Oanh is about as close as Sydneysiders can get to the real deal. That includes a tiny kitchen cloaked in clouds of steam and squishy tables with ankle-high stools (no joke) that will test your flexibility. The proof is in the banh cuon and Ba Oanh delivers - expect thin layers of house-fermented rice batter expertly ladled and steamed until soft and silky. Peer into the open kitchen and you’ll likely find Ba Oanh herself, family matriarch and restaurant mascot, in amongst the action. Order the classic version ($11) of this Northern Vietnamese dish and your rice noodles will be rolled with a rubble of pork mince and flecks of crunchy black fungus mushroom. Dunk them in the sweet and salty nuoc cham fish sauce dressing and savour alongside slices of cha que (a pale baked pork sausage seasoned with cinnamon), soft herbs and deep-fried shallots. Alternatives include plain rice noodle rolls served with grilled pork ($11) or a soft set organic egg ($4). Bring a handful of mates and you could easily orde
Sydney Cebu Lechon

Sydney Cebu Lechon

4 out of 5 stars
October 2023 update: Filipino suckling pig masters Sydney Cebu Lechon have moved from their Newtown digs to a brand new spot in Blacktown. You can now find them at 4 Kerry Road – and be sure to use the back entrance. And while Sydney Cebu Lechon's address may have changed, everything you loved about this delicious, affordable eatery is still the same. Come for the signature charcoal roast pork, beef nilaga (beef soup), pork barbecue skewers, halo-halo (a shaved ice dessert) and more. And in good news, the team are still doing catering if you want to impress at your next party. Get cracking.  - Avril Treasure Read on for our original review of Sydney Cebu Lechon in Newtown from March 2019 by Helen Yee.  ***** At the centre of every Filipino celebration is lechon, a spit-roasted whole suckling pig that’s equal parts crackling and tender flesh. The Cebu Island version is said to be the best, stuffed with aromatics like star anise, garlic, lemongrass and shallots, before slowly being roasted over charcoal for three hours. Whole suckling pigs are awesome but how often do you have twenty mates over for dinner? That’s why Sydney Cebu Lechon’s recently opened Newtown restaurant has been such a hit. Originally starting as a catering business in 1991, this family-run business is now serving up lechon by the plate. And local punters (and homesick Filos) can’t get enough of it. Arrive early or make a booking. There are less than 30 seats in this casual corner eatery and they fill up fast
Chidori Japanese Bistro

Chidori Japanese Bistro

4 out of 5 stars
So you love a schnitty, but have you eaten the Japanese version called 'katsu'? Unlike pounded schnitzels, katsu (meaning cutlet) uses thick slabs of meat. The breadcrumbs are different, too: bigger, fluffier flakes known as panko crumbs that create a noisier crunch. Tonkatsu, or deep-fried pork cutlet, is the most popular katsu. At Chidori in Crows Nest, they’re so committed to maintaining its succulence, they cook the pork in a water bath (sous-vide) before it’s crumbed and deep-fried to golden and tender bliss. As is Japanese tradition, the tonkatsu is served on an elevated wire rack so the bottom never gets soggy. Genius! It also doubles as a stage, which we think is fair enough given its star billing. Dip your ready-cut tonkatsu into katsu sauce (like a fruity Worcestershire) or savour it with a sprinkle of salt. You'll find the usual accompaniment, finely shredded cabbage, on the side – which is sweet and a refreshing palate cleanse. All this clocks in at $18, or you can upgrade to the set for a fiver, which includes rice, pickles and miso soup. The tonkatsu is good, but the gyukatsu, or beef cutlet, is even better. Chidori uses Wagyu, and cooks the well-marbled beef to a juicy, perfect pink. There’s a terrific contrast between the soft, buttery meat and the golden fried coating. Dunk it in the sweet soy dressing and just try not to sigh at first bite. There’s more to Chidori than what you see at first glance, too. For a start, the compact ground floor dining space is t
Tianjin Bun Shop

Tianjin Bun Shop

3 out of 5 stars
Never heard of jianbing? Imagine a crêpe, cooked to order. Then, crack an egg across the top, spread it thinly until cooked, add giant shards of deep-fried wonton sheets and fold it up like a burrito. It’s a Chinese breakfast favourite and, like most street-food classics, it's easily eaten on the run. Tianjin Bun Shop calls this a hamburger on its English menu, but locals know it as jianbing. This eggy breakfast crêpe-cum-burrito is addictively delicious, slicked with sweet bean sauce, garnished with coriander and loaded with the noisy crunch of golden fried wonton sheets. The open shop window to the street is where you’ll pick up your jianbing ($6), straight from the chef manning the hotplate. Don’t expect small talk or smiles. It’s all about no-nonsense speed and precision. But that’s just what punters are looking for as they queue for a snack on their way to and from Campsie Station and nearby bus stops. This takeaway-only shop opens every day at 5am for the breakfast crowd, and trades right up until 8pm for dinner. Breakfast congee, wontons and fresh soya bean milk all sell out by mid-morning. Behind the counter, you’ll find plenty of snacks you can point at to order, like tea eggs, fried bread sticks and glutinous corn cobs completely devoid of sweetness but adored by fans for their chewy starchiness. Steamed buns ($2) include sweet red bean paste as well as savoury fillings like egg and chives or pork with preserved vegetables. There's also a range of stuffed pancakes (
ATL Ayam Tulang Lunak Crispy

ATL Ayam Tulang Lunak Crispy

3 out of 5 stars
Why worry about extricating meat from bones when you can just eat an entire chicken leg itself, bones and all? Ayam goreng tulang lunak ($8.50) is fried chicken with soft bones you can eat. The secret lies in pressure-cooking the corn-fed chicken quarters overnight till they're ready for deep-frying the next day. The result? Earth-shattering batter, juicy flesh and brittle bones you can crunch on, from the ribs to the leg bone. The bones don't taste of much – as bland as the bones you find in a tin of salmon – but there's a sense of accomplishment involved in reducing a serve of chicken legs into nothing but a trail of stray crumbs. The fried chicken can be ordered with a salted egg batter or generous daubs of chilli sauce in hot or mild, but we liked the original the best, which is topped with a crumbling coral of deep-fried batter shards.  Try the petai beans – their bitterness is best masked with fried anchovy, but they're also available with chilli prawns ($20) or served plain and fried ($6.50). Cleanse the palate with sayur asem ($7), a mild, sour tamarind soup and wash down everything with sweetened coconut milk drinks that double as desserts. Avocado ice ($6) and durian ice ($7) both come with chunks of fruit at the bottom.
A-Team's Kitchen

A-Team's Kitchen

4 out of 5 stars
The first thing you need to do with sizzling sisig is mix the egg yolk in quickly. You’ll want to burst that quivering golden orb and spread the yolk so it drenches every inch of chopped meat across the entire plate. The meat should be hot enough to cook the egg yolk as you stir it through, creating a sticky and rich sauce. The meat? It’s a mix of everything that exemplifies nose-to-tail eating. We’re talking bits of chicken liver tossed through with sliced pigs’ ears, pork cheek and – if you’re lucky – pig snout. Is that the sound of you freaking out? Don’t. Sisig is a dish that originated in Pampanga, popularly known as the culinary capital of the Philippines. The seasoning is the key here, a heady combination of salty, sour and spicy notes. Each mouthful is different, a little bit fatty here, a little bit crunchy there, interspersed with accents of red onion and fresh chilli. It’s a hearty and rich dish, best contrasted against the simplicity of plain white rice. You’ll find sizzling sisig ($14 with rice) on every second table at A-Team’s Kitchen, a low-key family eatery in Rooty Hill. It’s the type of joint where you queue up with Filipino aunties at the register to place your order, then jostle with a rabble of kids to get your own cutlery. It’s also the kind of place where you’ll find free jugs of chilled water and the gastronomic funpark otherwise known as the self-serve condiment station. Discover the joys of Filipino banana ketchup (like a sweet and sour tomato sauce
Pari Pasticceria

Pari Pasticceria

4 out of 5 stars
Dessert for breakfast is real! Sicilians have been waking up with granita and brioche for generations. Not to mention brioche buns stuffed with gelato. Seriously. And as Sydney heats up for the summer months, it becomes harder to deny our Italian cousins are onto a winner. Let’s start with the granita. Sicilian granita is like a finely crafted slushie, smooth with ice crystals that melt on the tongue. At Pari Pasticceria, in Concord, granita flavours run from fruity (mango, strawberry and lemon) to rich and nutty (chocolate, hazelnut, almond and pistachio). Pistachio and coffee are Sicilian classics, and here, they’re piled into a parfait glass with optional whipped cream on top.  On the side, you’ll score a shiny glazed brioche bun called brioscia cu’ tuppu, so named because it resembles hair tied into a bun. You can eat the granita and brioche – a steal at $8 – however you please: dunk the brioche into the granita like a biscuit, spoon granita onto torn brioche like a scone, or eat them separately and alternate mouthfuls. And while the combo sounds weird at first, trust us, it’s strangely addictive. The brioche is made in-house daily, and it’s softer and fluffier than you’d expect. As a result, every spoonful of granita provides both clarity of flavour and icy refreshment.  Level up with the gelato burger (also $8) if you dare. That’s a brioche bun cut in half and crammed with up to two scoops of gelato. Get the amarena gelato if it’s available, syrupy wild Italian cherries
Boonchu Northern Thai

Boonchu Northern Thai

4 out of 5 stars
Picture a hearty bowl of curried coconut broth piled high with egg noodles and tender chunks of chicken or beef. This is khao soi, the one-bowl meal found on every street corner in Chiang Mai in Thailand’s north. Dig past the crunchy nest of deep-fried noodles and you’ll uncover slippery strands of egg noodles bundled at the bottom, perfect crinkled carriers for the rich and aromatic curry soup. If you like the flavours of massaman curry, we reckon you’ll like khao soi, too. Thai restaurants are everywhere in Sydney, but Northern Thai dishes are less easy to spot. The newly opened Boonchu in Newtown – small, casual and best suited for small groups – looks to be changing that, even if its Northern Thai dishes (found on the menu’s 'Recommended' section) make up only a small subset of its broader menu.  Start your Northern Thai adventure with a bowl of that khao soi. A plate of condiments on the side lets you adjust the dish to your taste. That includes raw red onion slices, crunchy bean sprouts, pickled mustard greens, extra chilli sauce and wedges of fresh lemon. You’ll score the same condiments if you order the khanom jeen nam ngiaow, a huddle of fermented rice vermicelli noodles in a spicy and sour tomato soup. In addition to mixed vegetables and pork mince, you’ll find cubes of pig’s blood in your bowl. Don’t be afraid – think of the iron boost! – but if it really does freak you out, just ask for them to be omitted.  Deep-fried pork neck is a guaranteed crowd pleaser. Get i
QW Huaxing Bakery

QW Huaxing Bakery

5 out of 5 stars
We’re calling it. This is one of the best Chinese bakeries in Sydney. We’re talking super-crisp fried dumplings that retain their crunch, pillow-soft chiffon cupcakes and glossy egg custard tarts in crisp pastry shells. Haven’t been to a Chinese bakery before? It’s easy. Grab a plastic tray, a pair of tongs and pick-and-mix your own breakfast, lunch or morning tea for a few gold coins. The set-up at QW Huaxing is particularly fancy, with domed splashguards that retract as you pull out each tray. The descriptions on the labels tend to be brief, but most items come in at less than two bucks, so it’s a low-cost risk to try anything new. The so-called pineapple bun, for example, does not contain pineapple. Regulars will know this plain, sweet bun gets its name from its sugary crust – a golden chequered top that looks like pineapple skin. Hot tip: take this one home and eat it with a thick slab of butter, just like they do in Hong Kong eateries. The fried treats are notably impressive here, devoid of any lingering grease and commendable for the way they hold their shape and retain their crunch for hours. Ham sui gok, the deep-fried combination dumpling shaped like a football, is out-of-this-world good. Sink your teeth past its thin, crisp shell into sticky glutinous rice dough and sigh as you hit a goldmine of saucy pork mince. Also great is the wu gok, a deep-fried pork and taro dumpling that resembles an intricate lace-coated egg. And don’t miss out on the beauty that is the red
Suhhtan Pizza Bakery

Suhhtan Pizza Bakery

3 out of 5 stars
Manoush with Vegemite? It doesn’t get more ‘strayan than that. Take one Lebanese flatbread, add Australia’s finest contribution to food spreads, sprinkle with cheese and bake. The result is a breakfast pizza dream come true. For only seven bucks. Maaate.  You can cop 19 manoush variations at Suhhtan Pizza Bakery. The classic za'atar (that dried herb sprinkling of oregano, thyme, sesame seeds and sumac) starts at $2.50; the most expensive one tops out at just $9 for chicken breast with garlic sauce. It’s hard to go past the essential meat and cheese combo ($7) though, a thin layer of spiced lamb mince, tomato, onion and cheese. Up for something different? Check out the kishk manoush ($5), a garlicky, cheesy delight spiked with kishk – dried yoghurt mixed with burghul wheat that adds a welcome zing. In addition to manoush, Suhhtan churns out traditional pizza. It’s still crisp-and-thin territory, but you can expect more toppings and cheese available in four sizes from small ($8.50) to family ($20). Sure, you can get all fancy with garlic prawns or piri piri chicken, but Sarah’s Special wins us over with spicy sujuk sausage, olives, mushrooms, capsicum and jalapeños.  You’ll find a constant stream of locals ordering takeaway here, but it’s worth nabbing one of the few tables to eat in. There’s not much in the way of decor but who’s looking at the walls when you have an accordion of molten cheese strings competing for your attention? If you love cheese, you should definitely orde
Siem Reap

Siem Reap

3 out of 5 stars
Where are all the Cambodian restaurants at? You need to know where to look. Take Siem Reap. You won’t find it along the thoroughfares of Cabramatta, but head down one of the suburb’s many laneways, and you’ll spot the unmissable bright red signage opposite the bustling shopping complex that was once a council car park. The decor is simple but functional, with a no-nonsense table set-up of self-serve cutlery and tea. On one wall is a pictorial guide to the short and sweet menu; on the other you can peek into the tiny kitchen via the cut-out service window.  Expect a constant stream of expats here for a Khmer taste of home. Most will be slurping bowls of nam banh chok, long and thin strands of rice noodles served in somlor (soup). The traditional version, nam banh chok somlor Khmer ($11), is not for the faint-of-heart – the turmeric and coconut milk soup’s turbocharged with a salted and fermented fish paste called prahok. The flavour isn’t overpowering, but it’s definitely there, a lingering pungent funkiness that justifies its reputation for being the Cambodian version of blue cheese.  Prefer something a little more approachable? Order the nam banh chok somlor namya ($11) instead – its Thai red curry flavour profile will likely remind you of laksa. Both nam banh chok somlor variations are fortified with tender fragments of minced barramundi, pounded down to a fine paste and then gently boiled.  Cambodian chicken curry ($11) is more a noodle soup than a stew. In terms of protei