Motley Blend: Sydney

So much to do yet so little time - four days is definitely not enough. Though it's just as well that our trip was short because eating out in this city is a rather expensive affair. You'll need around AUD 11 for a full meal from a food court, unlike in Singapore where you can get noodles, soup, and a drink for under AUD 5.

Here are some of the the places we visited in no particular order:

Paddy's Market & Market City

Paddy's Market is where you'll find row upon row of souvenir stalls. Market City, on the other hand, has outlet stores and Asian supermarkets.

Harry's Cafe de Wheels

Pies in clockwise order from the top: Cheese & Bacon Pie (AUD 4.70) - chunky lean beef pie with fresh bacon and cheese, both cooked in and melted on top. Beef Pie (AUD 4.50) - lean chunks of beef in black pepper gravy. Tiger (AUD 6.70) - signature dish named after founder Harry ‘Tiger’ Edwards. Chunky lean beef pie served with mushy peas, mash and gravy (the house special). Seafood Pie (AUD 5.90) - white fish, whole prawns, scallops, salmon, cooked in a creamy cheese sauce.

I liked the Seafood and Tiger pies best. The Beef Pie was just okay and I couldn't really taste the cheese and bacon in the Cheese & Bacon Pie.

Darling Harbour

A short and scenic walk from our hotel. There's a mall and numerous restaurants lining the harbour.

Strand Arcade

Gumshara Ramen

Ramen is not my favorite dish, but after trying their BBQ Pork Ramen Noodle (AUD 14), I just had to come back the next day for seconds! The soup was thick and tasted like it had liver pâté mixed in the broth (which is what I loved about it). Now that I'm back in Singapore, I'm eating ramen left and right trying to find something that comes close. No luck yet so far.

Queen Victoria Building

The Rocks

We timed our visit to the oldest part of Sydney to coincide with the Foodies Market. It was quite crowded so it would be best to get there before lunch if you want to have a comfortable place to sit down and eat.