Bill's Sydney

Hey guys, it's been awhile! Sorry I've been so absent! I've taken up coaching golf for my high school this year (aside from my regular work), and it's been time-consuming, but SO amazing. Couldn't ask for anything more. The tears, drama, laughs, smiles- all worth it.

Anyway, back to the food blogosphere! Newest place I've tried and loved? Bill's Sydney! They opened up about a couple weeks back on Beachwalk in Waikiki. Since they opened, I've heard nothing but great reviews on their breakfast food. Corn Fritters, fluffy and moist eggs, delicious drinks, and the most infamous, their Ricotta Hotcakes.

A couple of my foodie friends and I headed down this (rainy) morning on a whim. Thanks Brandon and Dane for joining! Since we all heard such great things, we agreed to basically order their whole breakfast menu except for two things. So glad we did, because the things I wouldn't have naturally ordered were actually my favorites.

The Corn Fritters, Full Aussie Breakfast, and the Country Ham with Fried Green Tomatoes and Grits all came out first. We also ordered a side of scrambled organic eggs, which Bill's is known for. First thoughts? Fritters- deliciously crunchy and sweet! It went amazingly well with the creamy and chunky guacamole, which tamed the sweetness of the corn down. I would definitely order this again. Then I tried the Aussie Breakfast. This essentially was a little of everything. Eggs in the center and surrounded with toast, bacon, cumin roasted tomato, miso mushrooms and pork/fennel sausage. This looked better than it actually was. A lot of variety, but nothing really stood out.

Now, the Country Ham with Fried Green Tomatoes and Grits......this is something I wouldn't have ordered if it was just me. But my goodness, this was my favorite! I'm dreaming of it as I write this. The Fried Green Tomatoes were delicately breaded and fried, and not oily at all. So light, and I loved the flavor of the tomato. Dane commented that the oil must be clean- it didn't have an old, oily taste to it. Props for that, Bill's Sydney! Amazing job on the Fried Green Tomatoes! Not to mention, the grits (polenta??) was amazing. Polenta has to be one of my favorite things to eat, and not too many places serve it (or serve it correctly), so this was a treat. Both the grits and tomatoes went well with the salty, thin cut ham. Applaud you, Bill's, for executing this dish with such ease and perfection.

The Ricotta Hotcakes and Kim Chee Fried Brown Rice were last to come out. Again, an Aussie making Kim Chee Fried Rice??? Wasn't a standout. Interesting with big chunks of crab.

But the Ricotta Hotcakes?! Ok, they live up to the hype. I'm not a big pancake person, but these were what everyone said they were. Fluffy, light, soft. I mean, come on, cheese makes ANYTHING better! These were also topped with honeycomb butter and bananas sprinkled with sugar. Brandon barely put any maple syrup on these babies, and I can see why. So flavorful, you don't really need any sauce!

Can't forget their organic scrambled eggs. Yup, another thing that was worth the hype. Perfectly cooked and not overdone, velvety, soft, and was almost like an egg-y custard. The most luscious eggs ever! Texture great, however, a little bland for my palate. I thought it needed a bit more taste.

Things to consider:
1. Ricotta Hotcakes and Organic Scrambled Eggs are served all day. Breakfast is from 6am-11am, Lunch 11am-5pm, Dinner 5-10pm.
2. Parking.....I paid a flat rate at Embassy Suites for Valet for $9 until 4pm. Brandon parked at the Bankoh building for $3 per half hour. Essentially the same thing.

I loved the ambiance. Downstairs is a coffee shop with some food, but not full menu as upstairs. Upstairs is gorgeous. A rich, brown wood interior with high ceilings and open air. You can sit inside or outside- outside for a view. They also have a full bar!

Overall, I loved this place. For all the food we ordered- 5 entrees, side eggs, plus some drinks and coffee, we spent about $40 per person. Not too bad, plus we all walked out with full tummies, and even had some doggy bags! I'll definitely be back to try lunch and/or dinner, but seems like breakfast might be the winner!

Stumptown Latte

Delicious Peach Bellini and Stumptown

Stumptown and Maker's Mark

Sweetcorn Fitters, Roast Tomatoes, Spinach, Bacon and Avocado Salsa

Full Aussie Breakfast

Side Scrambled Organic Eggs- look at the sheen on those eggs!

Country Style Ham, Fried Green Tomatoes and Grits- my favorite of all the food!

Crab, Chorizo, and House Kim Chee Fried Brown Rice

Ricotta Hotcakes with Honeycomb Butter and Bananas!

Downstairs Coffee Shop

Entrance on Beachwalk

Kyung's Seafood

I hate writing this post for two reasons- because I'm drooling at the moment, and I probably can't go here for awhile, at least until my stomach lining heals. Yup, I have GERD/Acid Reflux, and I think going to Kyung's so many times triggered it. They specialize in seafood; and I mean fresh, fresh, seafood- uni, hamachi, fresh abalone, sweet shrimp from the North Shore, I could go on! But the owners are Korean and they also make some damn good Korean food too. That means everything that comes out from the kitchen is SPICY. So if you can't handle it, ask for everything mild.

My favorite? Their spicy tuna. Don't call it 'spicy ahi' because they won't know what you're talking about. The best part is that they usually give a big scoop of this for free with some other banchan sides. The last time, I asked for 3 more heaping scoops of Spicy Tuna to share......and that's exactly how my stomach is on fire now. It's just that good!!!

Parking? Street parking on the right side of King Street. This is where the restaurant is located too- right across the street from Tsunami's. If you go early before 330pm, BEWARE, it's a tow-away zone after 330pm on the LEFT side of the street (Tsunami's side). My friends and I learned about this the hard way last time we were here. The tow-away sign is red, but very faded, and if you don't look or look well enough, you might just overlook it like we did. There is also parking behind the restaurant so I've heard, but I've never parked behind before.

So, why go at 330pm? Well, their Happy Hour is from 11am-7pm. Yup, lunch time all through early dinner time, get their Strawberry Soju for only $6!!! And this Strawberry Soju is unlike any others- they blend their soju with frozen strawberries, so it's more like an icy, alcoholic strawberry slurpee! Trust me, you won't be able to get enough of this stuff!

Other stuff I love? Their Amaebi, which is so fresh it's still in its shell! Big honkers from the North Shore, and only $7. You get to peel it yourself, eat the sweet meat of the body, and then give it back to the kitchen to fry up. The shrimp with little baby tobiko is the best, fried up! Another must-get is their $30 Sashimi Platter which comes with Tuna, Hamachi, and Salmon. You can also sub more Hamachi for less Tuna or Salmon, and for me, that's the way I'd go. The Hamachi is melt in your mouth and like buttah.

The first time we went, my friends and I stayed so long and drank so much Strawberry soju, that the owner gave us Salmon Skin for free. Now, I get it every time I go. It's a must as well. Goes so well with a nice big pitcher of ice cold beer. Since then, I've also tried their Garlic Shrimp and Spicy (mild) Tripe, which are honorable mentions as well!

As for me, it's become one of my absolute favorite, casual places to eat and catch up with friends. Hopefully, in a couple weeks, my stomach will be strong enough to battle the spicy-ness of Kyung's food. As the saying goes, "It's so spicy, I just can't stop!"

Strawberry Soju to start!

$30 Sashimi platter

Jelly fish

Fresh Abalone

Banchan

Look at these big suckers!

Salmon Skin

Chapjae

Ask for some hot rice with this. Nothing better!

Kalbi, of course!

Fried Amaebi when you're done with the raw, sweet shrimp!

More Salmon Skin!

There you have it- Happy Hour from 11am-7pm!

Spicy Tripe. Mild. The next time we forgot to add "mild," and it came out very RED.

I spy Uni in the fridge!

Uni!

Garlic Shrimp, with a generous amount of garlic!

Spicy Squid with Somen Noodles

More banchan with Spicy Tuna!

TUNA

Salmon Skin, a third time!

Kung Hee Fat Choy!

Last weekend, Mom, Dad and I had our usual tradition of heading down to the Chinese Cultural Plaza for some good eats, browsing and overall Chinese fun! We stood in line for a couple hours waiting for our favorite Jai, browsed the little trinkets and gazillion colorful lai cee (red money envelopes) packets, enjoyed freshly-made jin doi, and went home with a beautifully-smelling Narcissus.

Happy Chinese New Year to you and your families! May the Year of the Wood Horse be prosperous, fulfilling, bountiful, and filled with much happiness.

Mini wontons. These were DELICIOUS.

Walked back to the car with some piping hot Coconut Jin Doi!