Y M House, CBD

The last few weeks have been so hectic for me, I've barely had time to eat - I've been running around juggling multiple jobs and internships as well as the return of a full-time uni workload. I decided last week that I needed a break from it all and more or less impulsively purchased plane tickets to jet off to Europe for two weeks next month. Needless to say, my bank balance isn't looking to impressed by my compulsive spending so I've resorted to cutting back my dining expenditure.

Thankfully, Sydney still has some to offer in terms of budget meals and you can always rely on random little Asian eateries to deliver a filling meal for under $10. I was introduced to a little Chinese cafe down Bathurst St named Y M House earlier this year by Sharon, who is obsessed with their dessert menu.

Udon with dumplings, fried balls, chicken $11.80

Dessert menu aside, they also serve a pick-n-mix menu of noodle soups for $9.80, from which you're able to select a type of noodle, broth and two toppings. Awesome heart-warming noodle soup will always cure your ails and leave your belly feeling nourished.

Chicken and Mushroom Baked Rice $9.80

Strangely enough, they also serve a couple of baked pasta dishes which you're able to have with rice instead. The odd fusion of cuisines piqued my curiosity and I tried the chicken and mushroom baked rice. It wasn't as odd as I'd expected and was a tasty mix of rice wrapped in gooey melted cheese and studded with chunks of chook. You can't really go wrong with carbs, cheese and meat.

Black Glutinous Rice, Coconut Milk, Fruit $6

There's an extensive dessert menu of course, with different combinations of asian desserts. I love black glutinous rice and it goes so well with coconut milk, the fruit in this dish just tops it off.

Saigo, Mango, Strawberry, Grapefruit $6

Mango, Saigo, Coconut Cream $6

The mango, saigo and coconut cream is probably my pick of the dessert menu. I'm fairly certain the mango is from a can as it tastes strangely sweet but it's delicious with the saigo and coconut. I've actually started requesting saigo and coconut cream on its own and was brought a milkshake glass filled with it with crushed ice and a little sugar syrup. It's amazing.

Mango, Saigo, Fruit $6

Y M House 
73 Bathurst Street, Sydney 2000
(02) 9283 8859

Xanthi Bar and Restaurant, CBD

Last month Westfield Sydney was held the Chef's Club, where on Tuesday nights restaurants offered various dishes and meals for $30. Joseph and I took this opportunity to check out Xanthi Bar and Restaurant, where we feasted on a hearty four course Greek banquet for an incredibly humble price. Set on level 6 of the shopping centre, Xanthi and the other restaurants that reside there are frequently overlooked for the shiny food court beneath, but I encourage everyone to check out the stellar food on offer upstairs as well!

Grandma's Chips $13

Of course when dining with Joseph, a side of fried potato is always obligatory so we ordered grandma's chips to go with our meal. Not your ordinary plate of fries, the bowl was filled with chunky potato chips, crumbled fresh ricotta and topped with a fried runny egg and oregano. Maybe not traditional but definitely soul food for us.

Greek Salad 

Our banquet began with some Greek salad, a fresh and flavoursome mix of cucumber, tomato, kalamata olives, cretan barrel aged feta, capsicum, Spanish onion, dried oregano dressed in extra virgin olive oil.

Pork Belly Baklava 

The pork belly baklava was my favourite dish of the night, a lovely crumbly pastry with twice cooked pork belly and a date and pistachio filling. It's served with a sweet and rich date mastic sauce and topped with fabulous pieces of pork crackling.

Lamb Skaras

The second meat dish was the lamb skaras, comprised of 'Perama’s famous slow braised lamb shoulder' marinated in paprika, garlic and olive oil. The barbecued chunks of soft, aromatic meat are served with a lemon and olive oil baste, baked lemon oregano potatoes and steamed string beans.

Caramel Baklava Ice Cream

We finished off our feast with the caramel baklava ice cream, an indulgent dessert with sliced layers of vanilla bean ice cream, caramel fudge and baklava nuts. A very sweet ending to our date night indeed.


Xanthi Bar and Restaurant
Level 6, Westfield Sydney, 188 Pitt St
(02) 9232 8535