Looking for an authentic izakaya in Sydney? Well look no further because Chaco Bar has the food and alcohol and the ambience covered. It's a tiny restaurant (much smaller than I had thought) so I was quite shocked that they could accomodate a group of roughly 15 people. They did so happily even though we literally occupied most of the restaurant. The place had a really nice vibe as we could enjoy the food and chat away without the roaring noise expected at a typical bar. 

These cute little balls of fried taro and sweet potato came out first and so they served as our appetiser. They were piping hot and soft inside with a slight crisp exterior; good but I was expecting them to be more seasoned hence more flavoursome. Overall a nice snack though quite bland and probably could have done with more crunch considering it was listed on the menu as chips.

Chaco Bar's house-made sizzling pan-fried gyoza came out served in a mini cast-iron pan and I knew they had to be good. I was not wrong. Possibly the crispiest pan-fried gyoza I've had to date and they were much plumper than the gyozas I'm used to eating. The pork filling was really delicious and juicy too. 

I was really looking forward to this dish and the presentation did not disappoint. As for how it went down, that's an entirely different story. The grilled rice balls were well compacted but being just plain rice balls there was no flavour to them besides the taste of charred rice. I thought that they would have incorporated some form of seaweed in the dish but it was absent. The star of this dish was no doubt the black cod which was wonderful in flavour and so moist, too bad that only a tiny portion was provided, obviously not enough for the four plain grilled rice balls given. Grilled rice in my opinion leaves much to be desired as it unnecessarily makes the rice hard albeit crunchy but it just doesn't work for me especially when there's no added flavour.

This was an obligatory dish for DT being a lover of fish eggs. Not my cup of tea though. The rice however was cooked well and the bursts of fresh roe with rice made for an interesting combination of textures. 

My favourite out of the mixed yakitori plate was most definitely the chicken skin (far left) with its crispy yet melt-in-your-mouth goodness and was heavily seasoned; salty and flavoursome it was absolutely delicious. Next up was the grilled lamb and surprisingly tasted of Mediterranean flavours and so being a Japanese restaurant I was expecting something different, nonetheless very yummy. The lamb meat itself was grilled perfectly as it was succulent and tender. The middle skewer was chicken heart and they were actually quite good and flavourful and not to mention were not tough to eat at all which was what I was fearing. Grilled chicken thigh was the next one and they were good especially with that teriyaki glaze. Finally, we have the pork belly skewer which was underwhelming compared to Sokyo's. I found that the pork was a tad tough to bite and not as tender as I was hoping however the sweet and savoury glaze was great.

Perhaps the highlight of the offerings at Chaco Bar. Tsukune is basically skewered chicken meat balls. The minced chicken could not have been seasoned better and paired with a heavy slathering of teriyaki glaze and sweet soy sauce they were mouthfuls of heaven. As for the poached eggs, well they were literal perfection with their glossy surfaces and were eagerly broken into to display runny egg yolk insides and for dipping the tsukune in.

I believe this was the special of the night and unfortunately I thought it quite average. The best bits would have to be the ends of the roll as they were concentrated with more of the crunchy tempura. I think it was supposed to be like nasu dengaku but in sushi roll form. I did like the sweet miso glaze for flavour.

The kitchen at Chaco Bar in full swing with yakitori grilling over the charcoal. A thank you to my friend who took this photo for me. 

Chaco Bar was definitely not cheap for the portion size and more so when considering izakaya in Japan would be a lot more affordable but if you want authentic Japanese yakitori in Sydney then you need to spend the dosh here or buy a plane ticket to Japan. You can't go wrong with their yakitori and their gyoza however the other dishes as mentioned were less than impressive but I give points for creativity. 

Quenching my thirst for Malay food is an easy feat now with so much choice available but finding opportunities to try out all these restaurants, not so much. Hawker easily stands out on Sussex Street with its vibrant and open interior which can be viewed from the outside through their large window panels. It's difficult to walk by and not be enticed by the sight and smell of their delicious food.

Milo ping $4, teh ping $4, barley ping $4

Hainanese chicken rice $14

Char away meow $14

BBQ pork slices with egg noodles (Wan tan mee) $13

Satay chicken skewers 1/2 dozen $12

Asam laksa $13

I'm trying to plan my next visit here because I'm itching to try their apam balik (a Malaysian pancake) and goreng durian (deep-fried durian) because it sounds so heavenly. Their savoury menu is also pretty extensive so trying out more from it is a must.

Think fleshy and juicy hot portobello mushrooms surrounded with a crunchy cornbread crust doused in an addictive cayenne spice mix. We chose medium heat to be safe and I thought it had the perfect amount of heat but would bump it up next time since it was a bit too tolerable. The side of coleslaw was refreshing in contrast and also helped to balance out the oiliness. 

The wings are my favourite part of chicken since they have my ideal ratio of skin to flesh and then the extra skin on the wing itself is always a bonus treat to nibble on when the rest of it has been devoured. We were pretty full since we came to Belles Hot Chicken for a guilty late afternoon snack and as per usual we over-ordered. The Southern chicken wings as you can tell from the photo had none of the cayenne pepper. They were extremely succulent and the batter had a really satisfying crunch but I felt that they were a little bland. The fries on the other hand were so good, I love me some crinkle cut fries and with a sprinkling of salt and chilli powder they were divine. 

On our second visit we ordered the chicken wings again but the "Hot" ones since "Medium" was too tame and we had already tried the plain wings. Getting the spicier wings was a huge improvement from the Southern as the heat and the flavours exploded and popped in the mouth. I was also truly impressed and taken aback at how juicy they were and everything about them was so bloody addictive. The heat level was definitely a step-up from medium (look at how red they are) so I'm actually afraid to try the hottest ones. The fries again were perfectly seasoned, crunchy outside and pillowy soft inside.

Melbourne's popular fried chicken is here to stay in Sydney (I hope) and we will definitely be returning for more to perhaps destroy our tastebuds with their "Really F**kin Hot" chicken.

The kitchen also serves rice dishes if you're fancying a more substantial meal with a side of protein. I almost forgot to mention that the food is relatively affordable. Sure it's not reflective of the prices back in Malaysia or Singapore but for Sydney standards it is quite cheap. 

"Telur" means egg in Malay so it was basically roti with fried egg. Served warm it was great for dipping into the curry sauces. If you love eggs, then perhaps order this roti otherwise if you like your roti nice and flaky then stick to good ol' roti canai. Not that the roti telur was particularly dense though as it was light and fluffy but just not flaky. 

This dish was pretty much what I came for. I reminisce the days my grandfather would buy me roti canai from the local stall in the morning for breakfast whenever I visited Malaysia and he would return with a bag full of fresh hot roti and loads of curry sauce for only a few dollars. In Sydney, I have to settle for paying more for meagre servings so I have to at least scout out the good roti places around here. The roti canai was great but the curry dips were a tad underwhelming as they were a bit bland, I like Mamak's more.

Here we have roti canai with a serving of chicken curry. The roti canai was akin to a light and flaky puff pastry with a lovely aromatic butteriness to it. I found it similar to Mamak's hence pretty authentic if I do say so myself. The chicken curry was good but not great. I felt that food in general from Alex Lee Kitchen didn't come out hot enough and was more lukewarm. The curry itself was flavoursome and rich with a bit of heat which I appreciated. I prefer that over mild creamier curries. The chicken was average as it could have been more moist but the flavours were there.

The classic Chinese BBQ crispy pork belly has always been a favourite of mine when done right. Achieving the right level of that distinctive savoury smokey BBQ flavour and perfectly crisp pork belly skin is what makes or breaks it. I thought the pork belly here was average, the flavour was decent however the crackling skin wasn't crunchy enough. Despite that it was still a delicious meal involving dipping the pork belly into the chilli sauce and eating it with the fragrant chicken-flavoured rice. 

This is a must order if you do go here but be forewarned as they don't seem to always have it available so you can imagine I was greatly saddened when I was told they couldn't serve it because they had run out of durian. Alas, on another visit I finally got to try it and it was amazing, it was everything I had hoped it to be and more. Sweet fluffy roti with fragrant (not many may agree) bits of soft durian scattered throughout, it was truly delightful. It wasn't an overly sweet dessert either and so the pairing with creamy vanilla ice cream was the perfect touch. 

As can be seen above, the stalls don't accept cash which I doubt would be a problem for anyone. If you want to experience hawker style food then Spice Alley would be worth a visit as it will give you a taste of that. I definitely recommend the roti from Alex Lee Kitchen whether it be sweet or savoury but just a side note the durian roti completely stole the show for me.