Sky Phoenix & Becasse Bakery, Sydney CBD

They say absence makes the heart grow fonder, but I always savour the time I get to spend with my fiance. Stephen and I have very different schedules: I work 4 ten-hour shifts a week, whereas Stephen works 3 shifts a week and spends 4 days teaching or working at Hawkesbury UWS. Normally we only get a couple of hours a day to see each other, but this summer Stephen has taken some time off uni, and we now have Tuesdays together.

We normally make the most of our Tuesdays, playing tennis with friends, going shopping or seeing a movie. One Tuesday we were craving Yum Cha, and found ourselves at the Westfield's impressive food court in the city; there sat Sky Phoenix like a harbour of hope for our hungry bellies.

Fried Noodles

The service here is impeccable, as we're greeted from the entrance and led through the clean and spacious restaurant to a table promptly. We were given our pot of tea, and before we could even finish pouring, our first trolley had arrived. When I saw they had fried noodles, I picked them out quick smart.

Probably my favourite Yum Cha dish of all time, the noodles are firm, thin, with excellent resistance when bitten. Lightly flavoured with soy sauce, they also include bean sprouts, spring onion, and sesame seeds. Simple, yes, but also delicious.

BBQ Pork Buns

These, on the other hand, are Stephen's favourite dish. These specimen consisted of soft, fluffy bun dough that stuck a little with each chew, and the pork was shredded roughly, tender morsels cooked in a thick, sweet sauce.

Prawn Spring Rolls

The prawns in this dish were SO fresh, plump and juicy. The pastry was super-crisp, and the sesame seeds lent their own nutty flavour whilst adding to the texture. They were served with a rather generic sweet and sour sauce.

Braised Duck

The duck fell apart with nary a touch, excellent considering the fact that we were using chopsticks. A soy based sauce lent some salt, and although the skin wasn't crisp (which is how I prefer it), at least it wasn't laden with a layer of fat.

Green Beans

These were ordered in a fit of guilt, but they were a good call. The beans were crisp and fresh, and lightly stir-fried in soy sauce.

Football Dumplings!

I STILL have no idea what these are called, but they were possibly the best ones I've had so far, probably due to superior ingredients and freshness. The minced pork burst with flavour, the mushroom had a beautiful texture, and the casing was chewy and crunchy at once.

Mango Pudding

This mango pudding was excellent, with mango chunks mixed in, giving it a more interesting texture than just plain, uniform  pudding. As always, it was covered in the obligatory layer of condensed milk.

As usual, I have trouble with the little stamps they put on the order sheet for food, so I'll just say that the total for the meal was $74.90.

After finishing our delicious  lunch, we went for a walk around Westfields. After a couple of hours we went for coffee and cake at Becasse Bakery.

Petite Carrot, Orange and Sultana Cake - $3.00

The carrot cake was teeny-tiny, about the diameter of a 50c coin at the base, but it was packed with flavour. Orange was the most prevalent, followed by the sweetness of the carrot and sultana. A generous piping of cream cheese frosting and the strategic placement of a walnut were both  lovely finishing touches.


Banana & Salted Peanut Brittle Tartlet - $6.95

 GOD, this was good. They definitely didn't skimp on the salted peanut brittle, which was amazing and crunchy without being too crunchy, if you know what I mean - I didn't chip a tooth. A banana custard supported the brittle, and a thin pastry crust encased the whole thing; delicious madness!

Zokoko Chocolate Jaffa Tartlet - $7.95

Stephen's jaffa tartlet was quite enjoyable - he enjoys a richer chocolate taste, which this dessert certainly provided. The chocolate jaffa ganache was encased in a gorgeous chocolate biscuit, and topped with a perfect disc of dark chocolate. This was topped by candied orange peel, and the dessert as a whole was divinely decadent.

Sky Phoenix

Level 6, Shop 6001
Westfield Sydney,
NSW 2000

http://www.phoenixrestaurants.com.au

Becasse

Level 5, Shop 5019
Westfield Sydney,
NSW 2000

Comments

[Juliana]

Jasmyne, everything looks fabulous especially the dim sum items.
Thanks for sharing it, and hope you are having a wonderful week :)

[Tina@foodboozeshoes]

I'm still yet to have yum cha here (post renos, that is). Not sure the Football Dumplings have a name outside of Cantonese 'harm sui gok'.

[Gaby]

When I was dating my husband I was working full-time and studying at night, we could see each other two or three times per week, and spend much of our time together sharing nice meals like you guys. Thanks for bringing those memories back!

[chocolatesuze]

holy moly that chocolate jaffa tart sounds incredible!

[InTolerantChef]

YumCha, excellent! We have our regular haunt where they know us by name. $17 a head for all-you-can-eat!!!! They just keep bringing around!!! Now it's not the most classy of places, but we love the flavours and on a slow day you can see them all sitting a table making all the dumplings for the next day. Yummm!

[yummychunklet]

That banana tartlet looks delicious along with that mango pudding.

[excusemewaiter]

interesting how you like those noodles the best out of all the dishes at yum cha! mm becasse bakery - that salted peanut brittle tartlet is calling my name...

[Chopinand @ ChopinandMysaucepan]

Dear Jasmyne,

The yum cha looks delicious. I still think their restaurant at Rhodes serves one of the best yum chas in Sydney though.

[Rita (mademoiselle délicieuse)]

Haha my Lebanese friend who's married to a Chinese wife always refers those as "footballs" too!

[Joanne]

I'm glad you guys got to spend some quality time together over delicious food! And now I'm SERIOUSLY craving dim sum.

[Von]

I've only been to Westfield's Sydney once, but didn't get a chance to have a look at the foodcourt :( :(
The food at Sky Phoenix looks delicious though- especially the prawn spring rolls! The football dumplings are called 'Ham Sui Kok' or 'Fried Crescent Dumplings' in English :)

[Sara (Belly Rumbles)]

I am yet to try the Sky Phoenix since the renovations of Westfields. Love dim sum!