Hidden Gem: Carolina Kitchen

Pork Ribs

Buffalo Wings

New York Fries

Jordan Image

It’s hard to resist a combination of ribs, buffalo wings and fries. Such an easy combination of finger lickin’ good food. But for some reason, so hard to find in Brisbane.

Carolina Kitchen is hidden in the ‘burbs of Brisbane (Coorparoo). About 10 minutes from the CBD surrounded by houses. It’s a humble American diner with simple furnishing – you’ll feel like you’re in your mother’s kitchen. But the food… great meaty and greasy food. That’s what counts right?

They sell ribs, wings, new york fries (fries with salsa, sour cream and cheese), hoagies (like a 3/4 footlong sub), hot dogs, burgers and American branded drinks.  We usually get a Carolina Pack: $40 for ribs, 12 wings and a serve of fries.

I’ll let the pictures tell the story. The ribs are nice. But I’ll definitely recommend the buffalo wings. Don’t forget to use the dipping sauce – it’s some blue cheese sauce which tastes great. My pick from here – I would drive 20 minutes to pick these up… oh the things we do for good food.

Ramen for the Pork Lover – Gumshara Ramen

Gumshara Shopfront

Super Mega Ramen

Pork Rib

Menu

Ramen. Meat. What more can you want?

I was tipped off by a friend about a meaty ramen in Sydney, and I couldn’t resist the temptation to try this place. It’s called Gumshara, and its located in a food court just off Chinatown in Sydney. To be honest, I didn’t expect much after finding out it was in a food court. But when I saw the little stall, my opinion changed straight away! The smell – of the pork broth travelled across the food court. The line – it was packed, and crowds were having a look at the menu. Great signs of good food.

I tried the ultimate meal: the super mega ramen noodle for $25. It’s a bit expensive for a meal. But it includes probably 4 times the pork slices to usual ramen, a pork skewer, and a massive pork rib!

I’m going to describe the ramen in the categories of: broth, noodles and toppings.

Broth

This is by far the thickest pork broth I’ve ever had. It compares to the thick tsukemen broth I had at Tokyo Station – but this time it was the actual soup instead of a dipping broth. For those looking for a meaty broth – this will definitely satisfy you. This is the drawcard of the place – thick, meaty, pork, broth. It’s definitely very overpowering. The purists would probably not ‘love’ this. I wouldn’t have this soup every day or every week. But I would definitely not get sick of sipping this one down!

Noodles

The noodles were OK. Nothing special about them from memory. Nothing bad to say. But I would say that this definitely isn’t the focus of the ramen.

Toppings

Alongside the broth, I would say that this is the real plus of this ramen. I counted about 12 slices of pork, which were mouthwatering. There was a pork skewer, which was seasoned and barbecued (I think this was the highlight of my meat eatings in the ramen). And finally for the meat, one large, fat, thick rib of pork which was soaked in the beautiful thick broth. There were two half eggs, which were cooked just right – not overdone at all.

Verdict

I like this place. I wouldn’t go for the super mega bowl every time – maybe once every few months. If you love meat and love ramen – STRONGLY suggest you check out this place. I’ll definitely be back.

Shanghai in Melbourne

Shanghai Street Dumpling

Xiao Long Bao

Pan Fried Pork Buns

Chilli Pork Wontons

Shallot Pancakes

Was recently in Melbourne and finding an alternative to Hu Tong Dumpling Bar since it was booked out.

Came across this joint that truly satisfied my shanghai dumpling craving! To give you an introduction to Shanghai dumplings……

Shanghai Dumplings (or Xiao Long Bao) are unique because of its soup contained with the meat in the dumpling pastry. It’s usually served in a bamboo basket (which is the literal translation of Xiao Long Bao). It’s really hard to find good Shanghai Dumplings in Australia. Before going to Shanghai, I really hated these dumplings from the ones I tried in Brisbane.

Anyway, found this little gem in Melbourne called Shanghai Street Dumpling Bar (342 Little Bourke Street, CBD). I heard the place is usually very busy, and I waited about 10 minutes in line (at about 12 noon). While I was eating, the queue got bigger and some people waited more than 30 minutes, which says a lot! A telling thing about Chinese joints is if the people are Chinese or Caucasians – this place had a good amount of Chinese people waiting and dining.

I went twice to this place and tried the following dishes:

Xiao Long Bao (Steamed Pork Dumplings)

The dumplings didn’t break. The pastry wasn’t too thick. There was a lot of soup. Wasn’t too pricey. Very satisfied.

Pan Fried Pork Buns

These buns cost the same price as the steamed pork buns (above), and if you’re just looking to get full – this is the choice. There’s nothing heaps special about this. There is a bit of soup inside the bun still.

Chilli Pork Wonton in Peanut Sauce

Shared this one with a friend. I had a look around and many people had ordered this – must be a favourite. In this dish, you get 15 wontons. Good combination for those looking for something different.

Shallot Pancakes

I couldn’t help myself. They had a fusion variant of this which had bacon. How can you resist bacon? It was great! But probably not for the purists – might need to stick with the traditional shallot pancakes without bacon. Either way, I really enjoyed this. It wasn’t cooked to cardboard, nor was it under-cooked. Great side dish to a dumpling/bun main meal.

Really enjoyed eating here. Will definitely be back. Very good alternative to Hu Tong.

Pork Ribs: Craving Satisfied

Rack of Pork Ribs, in Al Foil and lathered with BBQ Sauce.

120 degrees in pre-heated oven for 3 hours.

Served with home-style potato wedges and sour cream.

Tender, Meaty, Flavoursome, One of my favourite dishes.