Sydney Thai Town

Sydney has the biggest population of Thai in Australia and therefore, a Thai Town was established in Sydney back in 2000. Thai Town is located along Campbell Street near Haymarket and consists of Thai eateries and grocery stores.  The comprehensive guide to Thai Town can be found here.

Map of Thai Town (source: weekendnotes.com)

I didn't know the existence of this place until I accidentally walked into it. I was finding a place to eat on one fine Sunday and googled upon Boon Cafe. Located in Pitt Street, Boon Cafe is said to serve cafe food with a Thai twist and awesome coffee. As it's not far from my place, I decided to give it a try.

As I walked into Pitt Street, I could feel the theme already: shop signs in Thai language, stores selling Thai dessert, Thai restaurants. I didn't spend my time looking around since I knew where I wanted to go. Boon Cafe.

Boon Cafe is part of Chat Thai group and this cafe turns Thai food into cafe food. The cafe shares a compound with a Thai grocery store called Jarern Chai. The place is kind of small and too cluttered. Small tables and wooden stools at one side, narrow alleys and racks at another side. But I love the tasty food and the awesome coffee.

I also spent sometime looking around the grocery store. I felt nearer to home when I saw so many Asian staples which I am familiar with.

Thai dessert food cart

Who can't resist mango sticky rice?

Jarern Chai and Boon Cafe

Tropical fruits welcomed me

 

The cafe

The place is too small :(

I love my brown rice, spicy mince pork, chicken liver and salad (I can't remember what this is called - pardon me)

 

Dessert in Boon Cafe

I know someone who will buy the whole basket

All the Thai ingredients

Sydney is a really good place to be stranded. I am away from home but I almost never feel away. With the mixture of people here, I can interact with people from my own country, I can eat the foods from Southeast Asia as often as I want, I can buy all the ingredients that I need too (with the price being compromised though).

Yeah, I am so lucky to be "stranded" here.

Love is in the air,
Little Feet 

Little Feet's First Winter

Seasons just passed. This is already the end of winter. How time flies, I don't know, I am still kind of amazed.

I can now proudly say that I have survived my first winter. I don't think I did it very well but at least I did not cry over the bitter coldness or refused to go to work. I woke up many times at dawn just to feel cramps and numbness of my feet. I got my skin cracking and peeling off as the weather was really dry. I was defeated by winter flu once and saved by the antibiotics. I was pushed by 40 km/h wind when I walked to the office. I was constantly hungry. I felt myself at the laziest even to drag my butt off my bed.

I know why the animals choose to hibernate in the winter. I want it too.

But, even though I felt all the laziness in this world, my little feet still urged me to explore. I spent some of my weekends going out, mostly to go for yoga, to restock my grocery or just to eat. Some other time, when I felt more energetic, I actually picked a place to go for a day and let myself loose. I walked and walked and walked until it's time home.

Pretty sights that I bumped into while walking around the city always amazed me. I have been there for many times, but when the season changed, it's transformed. I always wonder how the same place can feel and look different over different season. Living in the tropical country for all my life, I didn't have this kind of luxury to experience season changing. And this year, when I finally saw it with my own eyes, it felt magical.

Central Station, on my way to get my Chinese groceries (tofu, tempeh, kecap manis, sambal, etc.)

Bondi Junction when I walked back from one of my yoga classes

Wynyard Station, on the way back home

Winter Ferris Wheel at Bondi Beach

Once upon a sunset at Pyrmont Bay

Winter Skating Ring in front of St. Mary Cathedral

It's a pleasure to see some blooms in winter

A stroll through Belmore Park

Central Station Clock Tower at the back there

Somewhere near Martin Place

St. Andrew Cathedral and Sydney Town Hall

Love is in the air,
Little Feet