If you’ve ever travelled around countries across the South Asian and South-East Asian region, there’s one thing you can all collectively agree on (that’s not including the number of mad dashes to the loo). It’s that in experiencing these countries there’s the opportunity to try the new and unexpected, discover something amazing, and ultimately get out of your comfort zone. And you get out of that comfort zone indeed, from seeing their indigenous culture to practicing their traditional customs. But the best, most transformative, immensely rewarding part of visiting these places, is experiencing what seems to be, the literal, non-stop eating of local cuisine.

- literally me -

The thing is that these cultural eats taste so incredibly different from anything you’ve ever tried. Your mouth is overwhelmed with these incredible flavours and sensations, it somehow makes your eyes roll back into your head? LOL. It’s the type of food that makes you stop and say to yourself, why have I never. freaking. tried this before! And in these countries, food is a serious matter. You ain’t gonna walk a street corner without having to resist a stand selling some thing deep fried, or something tasty on a stick!

omg *drools*

Growing up in South East Asia, I admit that restaurants here in Western Sydney can’t truly compare to the distinct cultural taste of these countries, but we’ve found some places that come super super close. I guess I could've closed my eyes, listened to that continuously repeated Asian playlist in the background, and imagined being served by an unpurposely abrupt female waitress … haha, kidding! But if like me, your parents decided to fly home during your final exams, leaving you behind, and you don’t have the funds for that end of semester backpacking trip across Asia, I promise if not for the corny Asian exterior of these restaurants, the dishes alone will make you feel like you’re virtually there.


Malaysian: Satay chicken skewers with roti canai from Papparich, Parramatta

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Vietnamese: Taro spring rolls from Bau Truong, Cabramatta

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Filipino: Crispy pata fried pork from Sizzling Fillo, Lidcombe 
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Indian: Beef vindaloo from Vrindavan, Harris Park

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Indonesian: Deep fried marinated tempeh from Pondok, Parramatta
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Lao: Yum sab from Lao Village restaurant, Fairfield 

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Cambodian: Banh kanh fish from Battabang, Cabramatta

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Burmese: Pae parata from Bagan, Strathfield 

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Nepalese: Mutton biriyani from Himalayan Fusion Café, Auburn

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Thai: Salt and pepper soft shell crab from Bangkok Snap, Northmead 

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Your great great ancestors are probably laughing in their graves. Night Noodle Markets? Please. If we wanted to get a dumpling in true "street style" we'd pop down to John Street on a Sunday morning. Better yet, we'd pop over to our bà ngoại's and light fry some ourselves straight out of the industrial stash stored in the freezer. None of this waiting in line / having no seat / terrible lighting for Instagram photos business. It probably wouldn't cost you half an hour of your Christmas Casual pay check at McDonalds either. "but sera ples" u cri everytiem. "All of my Instagram followers think I'm a hardcore foodie which means I HAVE to be seen at Hyde Park for some damn #goodfoodmonth hashtagging." Well, hipster friend of mine, I tip my conical Vietnamese bamboo hat to you. Your perseverance for food and commitment to the arts has inspired me to write a post in dedication to said month of good food. 

Culinary Carnivale, Fairfield

Um. Hold up a second. Is that a seashell bra? Guys, it's a fucking seashell bra. It's things like this that just restore my faith in humanity. Western Sydney, you just get me. This girl is at a food festival and she's just like I know it's October and I'm in Western Sydney but I'm gonna wear a seashell bra because seashell bra. It's like all our Victoria's Secret, Little Mermaid, and food dreams all come true and at the same time. Aw yas.

Parklands Food Festival, Horsley Park

Ermigerd guise. My spidey senses are already tingling at this one. Think. Of. The. Photos. Think Of. The. Brokeh. I'm just done. I can't even right now. The white girl in me can't even deal with those circle lights in the background that are blurred and getting to me like the Gossip Girl opening sequence. And then the outdoor beach chairs. And then that tent that's all illuminating and glowing and just. My feels are going off guys. I mean while all my friends post a cliche photo of the lanterns at the Noodle Markets I'm just gonna rock up in all my Western Sydney glory with an outdoor barn that looks like it's glowing in the dark. Fml. Someone order me a pair of Hunters from the Iconic because I'm gonna check this location in as Glastonbury.

Indulge Food and Wine Festival, Penrith
Woah, woah, woah. Back up now. Is this real life? Have I just encountered a true dining experience out in the West? Once again Western Sydney proves to be just as on par with everyone else. Just like that quiet girl that everyone underestimated in high school who came out of nowhere and started succeeding in life post HSC, Western Sydney is your quiet over achiever. Don't underestimate us. This under appreciated side of town has so much more than you think. One day it'll even come and #stealyoman. Uh huh hunni.

Parramatta Lanes, Parramatta

And now you've reached this paragraph in disappointment knowing that it's already over for 2014. All that's ringing in your head is it's too late (to apologise). And before we get any "wow everyone knew about Parramatta lanes and now the West Things team are covering it. They're supposed to have their head in the game", no we did not not know about Parramatta Lanes. We may or may not have just procrastinated through the last week of blog posts and left the "Parramatta Lanes" blog post sit to rot in our drafts pile until we had to convert it into something else because it expired in newsworthiness. But in true Western Sydney style when things are old, we're gonna bring it up anyway. ust like every Bulldogs supporter does when they're reminded of the grand final they didn't win in 2014. Oops did I just politically align myself. Oh man, preparing for the onset of rioting that's going to happen on this page. Brb moving to inland China and erasing my identity. 

Images sourced from: Discover Parramatta, Fairfield City Council, Western Sydney Parklands

Brunch. It ain’t quite breakfast, and it ain’t quite lunch…

... But according to urbandictionary.com, It’s reserved for the pretentious that sip tea and have jam? LOL please. It’s universally known that brunch is the perfect 11am cure for that hangover you’re battling from getting crunk on a Friday night. It’s the morning therapy session with your closest friends to rehash some of those (un)fortunate events from the night before (including that questionable hook-up). And us non-pretentious asses aren’t about to travel to Surry hills or Newtown just for bacon and eggs and a cappuccino that’d probably cost 3x the amount it’d normally cost if we ate local!

The Western subs are definitely stepping it up in the fancy brunch department, from the beautiful, Café Harvest in Bonnyrigg, our own "Grounds of Alexandria," to Café Lattetude in Penrith, that possibly do the biggest "big breakfast" in the West. There are some mouth-wateringly, amazing brunch spots that'll convince you this in-between space between breakfast and lunch, is your new favourite part of the day! And most of these places are affordable, local cafés & small restaurants that don't overcharge for a perfectly poached egg. 

Best thing about brunch is you don’t have to decide between sweet and savoury. Want eggs? Get a pancake on the side. Have your heart set on waffles? Add some bacon, baby! No matter how late you hit the sheets last night, or how absolutely turnt you got, rest easy. You haven’t wasted your day because these Western Sydney brunch restaurants and café’s will still be there when you wake up :-)

Circa Espresso, Parramatta

Café Mambo, Giraween

Café Harvest, Bonnyrigg

The Blend, Toongabbie

Paper Planes, Parramatta

Big Tree House, Rydalmere

Café Lattetude, Penrith

Cassandra's on Queen, St Mary's

Baron Café, Castle Hills

Images and Gifs sourced from: Circa Espresso, Café Mambo, Café Harvest, The Blend, Paper Planes, Big Tree House, Café Lattetude, Cassandra's on Queen, Baron Café, Huffington Post

So you've given it a lot of thought lately. You've known him/her for quite a long time now. You think to yourself, I'm a little bit older now and it's time. You're ready to take the next step. It's time for you to speak up. But you're a little worried - you know they're a little frigid when it comes to "new things" and the only "experimenting" on their mind is the titration you've gotta do for your chemistry class (and let's face it. Getting that water just pink was hard enough when you come from a broke ass high school in the Western subs where your pipettes just. weren't. accurate.) The struggle.

Before you read on thinking "The day has finally come. The West Things team have finally branched out to dating advice because I really can't tell anymore if the missus, Krystal, is sick and tired of the $10 schnitty at the local pub?!" To you my friends I apologise because, nope, where I'm heading with this article is just a little different. 

We all have that one friend who's a little bit scared to try new things. They prefer "Modern Australian" to "Indonesian" cuisine. They think chow mien constitutes "Chinese food". They internally cringe at the thought of chicken feet or ox tongue or *gasp* balut (duck embryo). Oh hell no. I just went there. Unchartered territory. Oh the controversy of it all. Too far, Sarah, too far. 

And right now you're pretending that the thought of this food disgusts you when secretly you know deep down inside that it's not all that bad because your parents made it for you growing up. Unless, of course, you are that (poor and sheltered) friend to which I say: live a little, take a chance, live on the edge, be a little ruthless. Or, in the words of my tacky and cheesy thirteen year old persona on Bebo:

•?((¯°·._.• ιη тнε εη∂ ωε σηℓү яεgяεт тнε cнαηcεs ωε ∂ι∂η'т тαкε •._.·°¯))؟• 

- insert photo of two white girls with their bikini tops off standing on a bridge overlooking traffic through the wired fence -

This post calls for you to bring out the inner #yolo in you. You know that feeling you sometimes get at 3am when you're on Expedia looking at one way tickets to Europe thinking yeah, I'll drop it all, I'll just take 12 months off of my life and go travelling? Today, I challenge you all to channel that inner Beyonce in you and take a risk. Try something a little "exotic" and venture where no white 35 year old male has ever ventured before: to the streets of Western Sydney where everything is ethnic. 

I'll even spoon feed you and tell you which places to check out. (And no, I'm not even going to lie and pretend that I'm not secretly admiring my pun. Oh the shade you should all be throwing my way right now...)

Sabu, Parramatta (Japanese)

PAZAR Food Collective, Canterbury (Turkish)

Papparich, Parramatta (Malaysian)

Holy Basil, Fairfield (Laos/Thai)

Jasmine 1, Auburn (Lebanese)

Meze Me, Rouse Hill (Moroccan)

Enigma at the Piazza, Castle Hill (Greek)

Anais Restaurant, Castle Hill (Persian)

SE Jong Korean BBQ Buffet, Campsie (Korean)

Images sourced from: Enigma at the Piazza, Holy Basil, Jasmine 1 now, Meze Me, Papparich Parramatta, PAZAR Food Collective, Sabu, Sydney Food Lovers, Urbanspoon.

If you’re anything like us stereotypical westies, you’ll be at your local pub or restaurant on a Friday night, after a long day of hard yakka, pondering, should I get the steak or the schnitty today? One thing’s for sure. When that waiter comes along after you’ve finally decided what to order, you’ll ask him this life-long question, “Ay can I get chips instead of the salad mate?”

How about, NO you may NOT! You betta down that side salad! Actually, lemme serve you a whole plate full of greens instead as a form of torture for never choosing the vego option! How you like them brussels sprouts!?!

Kidding, I would never actually subject someone to such horrible treatment as downing a plate of brussels sprouts, but could you imagine if the waiter at the restaurant had replied saying, “Sorry… There are no more fries, we’ve sold out.” ABORT. ABORT.  Biggest real-life nightmare ever since you discovered McDonalds discontinued their shaker fries, right? Would you take a chance on salad this one time?

The problem is, the poor veggie options never get a chance to be chosen because that pathetic side salad or miniscule sprinkle of garnish over the corner of your plate, has had such a bad rep over the years. You’ve also been traumatised by greens ever since your were a kid, holding back the tears when your mum practically shoved the broccoli down your throat at the dinner table. Doesn’t help either that Marge Simpson sang that song about not making friends with salad. Don’t wanna be that loser.

But you gotta toss the salad-hate aside people! Step outside that schnitty and steak comfort zone, and give the greens another chance, because you’ll be surprised by the vast variety of actually delicious vego choices we have here in the west. We’ve actually helped you take the first step by compiling our top fave vego eats. I promise none of this standard salad or boring brussels sprouts! But if you really wanna continue being that salad-snob I suggest you stop scrolling now. Don't even think that the closet-vegetarian in you hasn't the slightest chance of coming out. Because I don’t think you’ll be able to handle how you feel after seeing the foodporn we have lined up for you today!

Papaya salad (som tum) at Green Palace Thai Vegetarian, Cabramatta

Dukkah eggs, smashed avocado and organic greens on sourdough toast, Circa Espresso, Parramatta

Samosa plate and veggie curry at Vege Delight, Quakers Hill

 Vegan cupcakes at Khalsa Foods, Pure Vegetarian, Seven Hills

 Traditional falafel at Just Falafel, Parramatta

Sesame mushroom curls at Fountain Vegetarian Restaurant, Bella Vista

Vegan Schnitzel at Loving Hut, Bankstown

 Vegetarian supreme at Crust, Gourmet Pizza, Penrith


SouthWest salad at Mars Hill Café, Parramatta

Vegetarian sweet soup (canh chua) at Duy Linh, Cabramatta

Picture this. It's Friday afternoon. You whip out your iPhone 5C (because that's how we do it in the west). You decide to frolic through Instagram in search of some food porn because you know very well that's the only kind of porn you're remotely comfortable being caught scrolling through in public.

You start your ascent into what you know will be happiness with a photo of a perfectly seared piece of salmon. Oh, how that perfectly applied Hudson filter gets you in all the right places you think. Out of the corner of your eye you spot a Nutella filled doughnut just bursting at the edges. You begin to scroll through your feed even faster with anticipation. Boy, oh boy that cooked to perfection of a poached egg is just about to make you scream.

You're at your peak. You're on the edge. You're about to give up every fibre of your being to the delight that was the cream filled apple turnover you just scrolled past. And then — in the blink of an eye — your vision comes crashing down to pieces...All because some girl violated the rules of Instagram and shamelessly used the #foodporn hashtag on her #nomakeup selfie.

You feel defeated. Deceived. Cheated on even. Believe us, we feel your frustration. That's why we're serving you up the first edition of our weekly Food Porn Fridays. Check out our picks of Western Sydney's finest culinary delights on offer below with the confidence that you won't run into a poorly composed photograph of someone's desk lunch. This is what real dreams are made of people.

Deep fried golden gaytime at What the Fudge, Canley Heights

A paddle pop sized sample of every flavour of gelato at Gelato Messina, Parramatta

Passionfruit creme brûlée at Le Caravelle, Canley Heights

King's crown of kunafa pastry at Baladna Pastry, Auburn

Snow White waffles at Waffleicious, Auburn

Pandan creme brûlée at Green Peppercorn, Fairfield

Cinnamon donuts with Nutella and hazelnuts at Criniti's, Parramatta

Pandan waffles at Tan Viet Noodle House, Cabramatta 

Baklava at Abla's Pastries, Granville

Macarons at Macroned, Greenacre

Deep fried ice-cream at Holy Basil, Canley Heights

Nutella pizza at Rashays, Mount Druitt

Green tea latte from My Sweet Memory, Strathfield

Chocolate and raspberry tarts at Waffle Co., Penrith

Choc tower sensation at Choc Rock Cafe, Liverpool

Chocolate cronuts at Badmanner Thymes Espresso, Parramatta

Images sourced from: Crinitis, Food Spotting, Good Food, Macaroned, Prahran Market, The Hedonist Life, Timeout, Waffle Co, Waffleicious.