The Palms Cafe

After a whirlwind week or so... I've finally arrived down under! Currently in Sydney and the weather here is cold. Can't imagine what Tasmania is like since it's sposed to be even colder! Taking a shower at night is not funny man, you shiver like crazy! Gotta get used to this stuff soon.

Actually I have quite a bit of backlog to blog about but I decided to blog about this cafe I went to eat at today with Aunt Rosemary and my parents. Called The Palms Cafe, its located in Stanwell Park.

Its a cosy cafe which serves your western type meals. Mom and Dad decided to share the Moroccan Carrot Soup and French Dipped Sandwich, while Aunt Rosemary opted for the Meat Loaf and I had the Spaghetti with Tiger Prawns.

The moroccan carrot soup was very thick and rich. It has an indian curry taste to it. Sort of like dhal or chutney, so you can taste the herb and spice flavours. It's also quite tangy, and has a smooth consistency. Served with a side of toasted bread which made a good entree.

I didn't get to taste this one. This is the french dipped sandwich, filled with steak, cheese and mustard, and served with a side of greens. It was quite long so my parents shared it. You gotta dip your bread in the sauce served with it, so hence the name french dipped sandwich. Quite duh right? Haha...

The spaghetti with tiger prawns was cooked a sort of dry fry style. Something like what I've made before in Singapore. It's fried with garlic, chilli and tomatoes. There were also some croutons inside. The spag was al dente and they were very generous with their prawns. I think I had like 7 prawns there. The dish wasn't spicy even though there were chillies. Had a slight tangy taste too because of the tomatoes.

I took a swipe of Aunt Rosemary's meat loaf too. It was served with some tomato based sauce, bread, mash and greens. It was very juicy and tasty. Went well with the sauce.

Dessert time and after browsing through their desserts we ended up with their Apple and Mixed Berry Crumble and Lamington. Apparently this is the original kind of crumble, whereby the mix all the topping with the fruit to get this messy mixture. It was very tasty and yummy though I must say. Topping was made of rolled oats, and topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Wasn't too sweet and had a hint of sourness to it. Great thing it was served warm!

Their lamington is really unique. Normally the lamingtons I've eaten before are all very sweet and quite dense and rich. This one here was more of a sponge cake coated with chocolate and coconut. Really good though I must say. At least you don't find it so sinful. Haha.

They have really good coffee in Australia. At least at the places I've drunk at so far. Their latte here was not overly bitter, and not weak either. Good stuff cannot bluff! Argh all I've been doing the past 2 days in Australia is eat and eat!

Don't expect prices of food in Australia to be cheap. A meal here would prolly cost you an average of AUD$15-$20, but the food served is good. Not sure what time they open until, but they're pretty popular at lunch time.

Cafe Oliv

Some time back my family chanced upon a newly opened cafe along East Coast Road. Cafe Oliv is a small homely restaurant. By the looks of it, the restaurant is a family run establishment. They even have a young boy barista. Haha. Business surely has been picking up for them. When we went there last sunday the cafe was fully booked. Luckily we made a reservation!

Cafe Oliv serves western food, drinks and desserts reasonable prices. They also have their set meals which are value for money. Going there with family is great because I get to try everybody's food! Haha.

The only disappointment of the night was the pan fried cod fish as shown above. The fish wasn't so fresh so it tasted a bit weird. Fish was a bit slimy or sticky, didn't leave a good impression there. The presentation was nice though.

The grilled chicken leg was marinated with bbq sauce. Very tasty and juicy. Plus it was such a big piece! Skin was also some what crispy on the outside which is a plus point!

My brother orderd the tenderloin steak set meal as it was supposed to be less fatty than rib eye, or so the waiter said. I have no idea though. The tenderloin steak was done to a medium done-ness. It was quite a thick cut. Meat was tender and juicy as well.

Just FYI, set meals come with soup of the day, the main course, dessert of your choice and coffee or tea (you can also change your drinks to one of their iced versions or something for a small price).

Beer battered fish is one of the specialties of Cafe Oliv. A big piece of battered fish served with wedges and garden greens. One of the better fish and chips I've eaten. The batter was crispy and you could savour the wonderful flavour of the beer batter and fish. The wedges were a good compliment to the fish as well.

This was my main course. I had the half rack of bbq pork ribs set meal. The sauced used for the pork ribs were the same as those used for the chicken leg. The meat was surprisingly soft and tender. Didn't take much effort to cut or remove the meat from the bone. The taste was also good. It was served with some boiled vegetables like carrots and long beans and those cute mini potatoes.

Because my dad, brother and I all had set meals we were entitled to 3 desserts. So far Cafe Oliv only has 3 types of desserts which are the mud pie, brownie and creme brulee. Or you can just have ice cream. Ice cream served is from Uzumaki, the japanese brand you see at some shopping centres.

Their mud pie consists of 3 flavours. Vanilla, coffee and surprise surprise.... Red Bean! The red bean is sandwiched in the centre of the pie. The ice cream was good, but I must say the ice cream was literally kinda "hard" to eat! Got to use quite a bit of force to cut into the pie.

The brownie on the other hand was really soft! Not to mention that they heat it up so its warm and moist, and served with a generous scoop of vanilla ice cream. My dad's favourite! He can finish it by himself if we don't stop him. Haha.

Lastly, we have the creme brulee. Creme brulee is actually supposed to be burnt cream. The top layer is burnt caramel while the underneath is a soft and creamy custard. The custard wasn't too heavy nor overly sweet. Very nice!

One can expect to pay about $10-$15 or a meal here, and set meals cost anywhere between $20-$25. The coffee served is also good. Probably a cheaper alternative to starbucks or coffee bean! Cafe Oliv also has other interesting stuff on their menu like the mini trio burgers and a range of pastas and such. Be sure to check it out!

Cafe Oliv
220 East Coast Road S428917
Tel: 6344 3114
Opening Hours: 1130am to 1100pm