Frankiies Hungry Tummy

Looking for a tasty Turkish feast somewhere away from the hustle and bustle of the City? Well, look no further than New Star Kebab in Auburn. They’ve won my heart over and over again with their delicious dishes and copious amounts of FRESH bread. I mean, who can say no to baskets of bread?!

New Star is definitely one to bring a big group of friends and family to so you can all share in the different flavours and experience Auburn has to offer.

Their dips are also so extra. You’re totally spoilt for choice if you order the plate. My fave was definitely the Baba Ghanoush but look at the colour of that beetroot one!

The pide is on another level, I’ve never seen one this big before. The flavours are so tasty and the crisp of the bread really made you want to just keep eating. I couldn’t believe the size of it!!!

The shish plate was also super tasty. The meat was tender and full of flavour, cooked over charcoal on the barbecue you’re definitely in for a treat. The sides that came along with it went well when adding them all to the Turkish bread as well, giving it even more flavour.

I totalled enjoyed my visit and I’ll definitely be going back more often!

Thank you to Spooning Aust for organising my super delicious and filling visit. If you’re ever craving Turkish food you should definitely give this place a visit, promise you won’t be disappointed – you can tell how satisfying they are by the the line of people all queuing up for a feed or takeaway. They’re not your average kebab joint, they actually take pride in what they serve.

Frankiie xX

If you’re looking for a cute and inviting place to eat, The Lion and Buffalo is a place you need to check out. Decked out with the funkiest decor, the rabbits strategically placed on the outside of the building are sure to grab your attention.

When you get there, guaranteed you will find a line up of people waiting to be seated – reflective of how good the food and drinks are!

It’s a cosy little place and the menu has a lot to offer in terms of looks and taste. The Better Than Sex Ramen really is to die for – spicy or mild, take your pick, but the pork chashu is the thing that steals the show! This dish definitely tickles all of your senses.

The Black Opal Wagyu Steak Sandwich was made to perfection, with a great combo of different flavours that all worked really well together. The seeded ciabatta had a yummy mix of seeds, which really added a zing of flavour to the sandwich.

The kids menu is the cutest, it channels an inner unicorn filled with rainbows and glitter – so all of the mummies (and daddies) looking for a kid friendly place to brunch, lunch or meet for a coffee and cake have to add this place to their list.

The Kids French Toast was absolutely amazing! It seriously is the best French toast I’ve ever had. Truly, something magical was put into it to make me fall in love. Adults, make sure you channel your inner child and order this as you won’t regret it.

The long black, made with Single O coffee, will give you that caffeine hit. It also comes accompanied with a glass of sparkling water.

The hot chocolate is one for all ages. I drink hot chocolates wherever I go, and the bar is set pretty low as most places fail and make it too weak but this place knows how to hit the right spot – I had to fight my kids for it!

What else do I need to tell you to twist your arm into visiting this place?!

Run, don’t walk!

Frankiie xX

Happy new year to you all! What did you get up to?

Firstly, I really apologise for being MIA. It has been a crazy end of the year and start to the year. My little boy just turned two and my little girl will be four in a few months. Time really does fly by.

Anyway, back to the topic – we went to Penrith Panthers for new years eve as last year we ended up with COVID from Illuminate! Not to say we won’t ever go again but thought we’d do something different this year.

Panthers put on a family friendly event with lots of food, games and rides. A little tip for the years to follow – make sure you get in early as it’s a long wait to sign in if you wait longer than an hour and a half after start time. We had friends who waited close to two hours!

For those who have been to Hawaii, they had a Dole Whip truck! We were lucky the line wasn’t long when we got there as when we walked back, it was insane.

Thank goodness the weather wasn’t scorching hot but it was still warm and these two bad boys really helped to cool us down and got us ready for the night ahead and chasing the kids.

There were lots of rides for all ages, which was really good, especially for those who have toddlers as it can be really hard to find ones where they are able to ride on their own.

They had things like train rides, teacup rides, jumping castles and even mini rollercoaster like rides.

There were the usual dagwood dogs, hot chips, chicken nuggets, and chips on a stick for the little ones.

Something you don’t see very often was BBQ Time, which is filo bbq. It was done really well, super moist and had so much flavour – definitely one to try if you ever see them around!

We stayed around until the 9pm fireworks, then had a bunch of donuts and headed off home. I can safely say, trying to get out of the car park wasn’t as painful as other places so if you want something a bit more low key and easy to slip away from then this is the event to be at.

Frankiie xX

Nutcote was the home of Australian children’s author, May Gibbs and is located in Neutral Bay with an envious water view. Serving up a cute and delicious high tea, you can also attend a guided tour of May’s home and for those with children, the novelty of the playroom will keep them busy for hours.

The high tea had your usual three tiers consisting of finger sandwiches, scones and sweets, all of which were so easy to eat with just the right amount of food.

The dessert tier is always my fave consisted of cupcakes, brownies, macarons, slices and tarts. Each piece was equally yummy but I have to say that the tart was the real show stopper.

The scone tier is hubby’s fave but these scones were probably the best I’ve ever had as they weren’t as dense as others and were the perfect size.

The sandwich tier had no complaints. These guys know how to make finger sandwiches just in time for arrival and were super soft and fresh. Needless to say I ate all of the cucumber ones while hubby ate the egg and the kids had the ham, cheese and tomato.

The Cafe itself was so cute and filled with lots of May Gibbs paraphernalia. If you remember the banksia men, you can even find one inside and the ladies serving you your high tea are the sweetest of all!

After having your high tea you can walk over to May’s house and have your guided tour. You’ll pass some caterpillar shrubbery along the way as well as a cute little garden.

Inside May’s house is quaint and comfy – her mother actually being the one to find it and persuade her to purchase it. Some of her original items are displayed inside like her easel, warmer, working tools and husband’s fishing rod.

During the tour you’ll learn about her life and workings. There’s also a separate area out the back which has a recording of May talking on repeat which is attached to the kids play room, which is decorated in the theme of Little Obelia where they can dress up, play and colour in.

Whether or not you’re a Gibbs fan, it’s definitely one to put on your bucket list if you haven’t already been and don’t forget to buy something from the gift shop!

Frankiie xX

It’s great to see the community you live in getting out there and holding all of these festivals to get everyone out supporting businesses and bringing families together.

I’ve lived in Fairfield for nearly all of my life and since moving back I’ve noticed more going on in the community, which is great. We’ve all been in and out of lockdown and it finally seems like restrictions are really easing and so people are keen to get back out there and explore.

The Fairfield Spring Fest ran for two days with lots of entertainment for the family, workshops, rides and food.

The kids were particularly excited to see Bluey and Bingo dancing around on the stage! I think they were quite disappointed after it all came to an end.

But that’s okay as they were then distracted by some delish donuts from We Donut Care. We got three for a tenner and each one was so good. It was hard to choose which flavours to try but in the end the aesthetically pleasing ones won! Fairy Bread, Strawberry Sprinkle and Chocolate with White Chocolate Sprinkles were the ones which won me over.

The kids went crazy for the Fairy Bread Donut because of all of the sprinkles.

The Strawberry Sprinkle was my fave. I loved the flavour of the icing. I mean who doesn’t love a donut that tastes just as good as it looks?! And the people serving were so nice as well. You guys will have to give them a visit if you see them around.

The Chocolate was quite good too and the icing was quite flavourful. I have to say these guys have got it all down pat.

Puntino Catering & Events had some of the best pizza I’ve ever had! The base definitely makes a big part of a pizza as well as the ingredients on top and it was made to perfection not to mention the pepperoni had a nice crisp to it and it wasn’t too spicy.

Hotdog House was another fave. The kids aren’t fans of sauce so they got the plain hotdog and some small chips.

These guys are so lovely and friendly also so make sure you also give them a visit if you spot them around.

Mr Goaty Gelato which was located in Candyland unfortunately only had one flavour left when we got to them and it was Passionfruit Cheesecake.

Also in Candyland you could find a world just like Willy Wonkas (unfortunately not edible) but very photogenic, as well as some free lollies.

Just outside of Candyland they were handing out beautiful purple lillies. I was lucky enough to get three of them as they were only small.

There were a bunch of rides and a jumping castle but we avoided them this year as the lines were a bit long and we didn’t want to wait around in the heat so instead went and did a decorate a bag workshop where the kids got a calico bag to draw on.

Other entertainment on stage was Lucky’s African Drumming and Dance, which people really enjoyed watching and singing along with.

There were a few different characters walking around all at the ready for photos, which was great.

They also had a skate rink which was fun. I’ll have to get the kids some skates to practice on so they can join in on the fun.

Did you visit and do you think this should this be a seasonal thing as I’m really hoping it is?!

xX Frankiie

We went exploring one weeknight to see what PenReef would look like and unfortunately it was a little disappointing! The fam were expecting a whole light display of underwater creatures and the like along Riley but it was only one tiny area for an hour drive.

There were lights hanging off trees along the sidewalk but I’m not sure if they’re there all the time… not to mention they were pretty mediocre.

They had a few deals up on offer through the Westfield Plus app if you’re a member but we only took advantage of one which was the $2.50 Under the Sea Sundae at San Churro as it really was the only one of two kid friendly deals with the other being a buy one get one free Lights on Riley shake at Ben and Jerry’s in Hoyt’s.

If you go onto your Westfield Plus app and look at the section on what’s on today it has free fairy floss for members but you have to click into the section and read the fine print which notes it’s only on Thursday and Friday nights so if you’ve got something fancy schmancy in your head and live far away, don’t bother as it’s really such a small display for the kids.

I’m sorry Westfield Penrith but maybe don’t put such a big hype on something so little in the future!

Frankiie xX

Hey guys, I’m sorry for the lack of blog posting recently but between all of the restrictions and places closing down that I wanted to visit, it’s been mum life all the way!

So here I am writing a blog on a couple of places the fam visited in Burwood during a super cold and rainy winter’s day. I decided to only focus on these two as I’m never sure of the future of businesses these days so if I started doing a collection and then a bunch of the places I visited close down (which they have), it wouldn’t really be current by the time I posted the blog.

Our first stop was Twinkle Kids Cafe. This place is super kid friendly as I’m sure you can tell from its name so mums and dads who are on the lookout for somewhere to park themselves for the day while their kiddos burn off some energy, this is the place to go. They have a giant ball pit, lots of pretend play areas, little vehicles and even costumes for the kids.

The items on the menu aren’t too extensive but you do get a $4.00 drink voucher for each paying adult. They also have a display case of desserts like Krispy Kreme donuts and macarons.

I ended up choosing the mixed seafood basket, which had calamari rings, prawn toast, fish, and chips and hubby got the curry chicken rice. The kids picked off our plates as naturally, they were too busy playing to sit down and attempt to eat a meal! Just a note if you order the seafood basket that it only comes with tartar sauce and no lemon.

Hubby loved the chicken curry and noted it to be quite flavourful. It was served up in a Peppa Pig shaped bowl which they also sell at their little shop.

• Food: 3/5
• Price: 3.5/5
• Service: 3.5/5
• Wait time: 5/5
• Atmosphere: 4.5/5
• Baby friendly: 5/5

I highly recommend this place as I found it to be quite clean and even though it was busy, they knew how not to overcrowd the venue.

After all of the playing, we were hungry for dessert but the area we were in didn’t really spoil us for choice so we ended up going to Kowloon Cafe. The interior seating reminded me of bus seats and had a cosy feel to it even though it looked miserable outside. Hubby forgot all about dessert when he saw the various menu items containing Spam and eggs so decided to order a dish called Spam and a lot of eggs with rice, a lot of eggs meaning three.

He loved the dish and said it was the perfect size for his appetite. The eggs were also nice and runny, just like he likes them!

Miss Three shared a dish with Mr One called Spam and double fried egg noodle soup. They loved it as noodles and Spam are two of their fave things to eat and it was the perfect dish for them to share and leave the leftovers for me.

I opted for the HK style toast with condensed milk and peanut butter, which was delish. I have to admit that I drenched the thing in condensed milk – amazing!

Definitely a place to visit if you are a Spam fan and also to try their toast. Oh, and they’ve got cold Ovaltine on the menu – winner!

• Food: 3.5/5
• Price: 5/5
• Service: 4/5
• Wait time: 5/5
• Atmosphere: 5/5
• Baby friendly: 5/5

Have you got a fave place to eat at in Burwood? I would love to hear – comment or drop me an email to let me know so I can go and try them the next time I’m in the area.

xX Frankiie

For all you gym junkies out there (or even those just wanting to eat healthier), Whey of Life are here to save the day and provide you with some super delicious protein balls!

Their protein balls are seriously next level. All of the ones I’ve tasted before haven’t been great and have had some weird textures to them, not to mention an overload of coconut so it was super lucky I won a box of these as I literally fell in love and want MORE.

I’ve only had the box for a day and a half and half of the protein balls have already been eaten (all by myself of course). They’re so moreish, it’s hard to stop at one.

With only a handful of flavours (gingerbread, white choc and raspberry, Oreo, chocolate and peanut butter, and Biscoff), I have to say my fave of all would have to be the Biscoff with the choc and peanut butter coming in at a very close second. I would love to see either a Snickers or Nutella flavour if they are looking to expand their flavour range!

A box of eight will cost you $32.00 which, in my opinion, is an absolute bargain as they are like gold.

So what are you waiting for?! Go and order yourself a box of these babies and let me know which was your fave.

Frankiie xX

So I decided to choose a suburb a month to conduct my foodie adventures in and this month I decided to choose my home town of Fairfield because let’s face it, we’re still in lockdown and I can’t go very far.

A taco place opened up called Chololo so that was my first choice and can I say, if you can’t handle your spice then this definitely is NOT the place for you as they don’t have anything without spice on their menu!

It can be a bit confusing when you try and find the place on Google maps but if you’re walking from Fairfield Station enter the Chase and it’s just on your right hand side in the Centre.

The tacos are super flavoursome and really have a kick to them so if you can’t handle your spice then this isn’t the place for you as they don’t have anything that’s not spicy on the menu apart from the corn!

The ramen is even hotter and will blow your brains! It’s definitely not for the faint hearted when it comes to its spice rating. You can tell just from the colour of it that it’s going to be HOT!

The corn on the cob (elotes) is one of the best I’ve ever tasted. If you’re wondering how a corn on a cob can be so good, it’s the cheese and flavoured salts they’ve added to it. I could have eaten 5 of these and been happy.

So my overall ratings for this place are:

• Food: 3/5
• Price: 4/5
• Service: 4.5/5
• Wait time: 5/5
• Atmosphere: 3/5
• Baby friendly: yes

Next on the list is Broaster Chicken. Now we’ve ordered Menulog from these guys before but wanted to come in and see what the atmosphere was like.

It was quiet when we went as the Culinary Carnival was on at the time so it was nice to have the pace to ourselves for awhile but it still took awhile for us to get our food but they were very generous with the Lebanese bread.

We ordered the three skewers which came with hummus, garlic, pickles and salad. Opting for lamb, this was a good choice because it was so good! It had a good flavour to it and was cooked just right.

We also ordered a snack box which came with two pieces of chicken, chips and drink which I didn’t get and forgot to ask about!

This chicken reminds me of a more subtle but fluffier skinned KFC. It doesn’t have as much flavour but the skin is novelty enough. The chips though, were cooked to perfection and I also got some potato scallops with it as well which were also good. Unfortunately aside from the skin, the Chicken was a bit tasteless and so was the gravy (best gravy I’ve ever had has to be from El Farouge in Guildford – must try).

For the little one, I ordered a kids nugget meal which came with three nuggets, chips and a drink. Actually, come to think of it as I’m writing this, they charged us extra for the drinks and didn’t give us any which were supposed to be included in the meals! Tsk tsk!

I’m guessing Little Miss was happy as she ate two out of the three nuggets and some of her chips, which is always a good sign.

My overall ratings were as follows (the service was marked down because of the extra charges for drinks and not knowing what things are supposed to be included in the meals on their menu!):

• Food: 3/5
• Price: 3/5
• Service: 2/5
• Wait time: 3/5
• Atmosphere: 4/5
• Baby friendly: yes

Kori re-fresh is another place in Fairfield serving up bubble tea and I have to say that this is probably one of my faves now! They have some pretty good flavours to choose from and just taste really good.

I got the pearl milk tea as this is a flavour that’s popular and I’m sure most people have tried so you can compare it with others you’ve had in the past.

The other flavour I got was a watermelon lemon touch with lychee jellies. This was so delish and refreshing. Another thing to note is that the lychee jellies are in the shape of a star which adds a cute touch to your drink.

• Drink: 5/5
• Price: 3/5
• Service: 5/5
• Wait time: 5/5
• Atmosphere: 5/5
• Baby friendly: no

Hot Burek is a little eatery which has been around for years. I remember it being there since my primary school days in the 90s and it’s still the same as it was back in the day.

Unfortunately if you’re travelling with a pram or stroller you’ll need help getting up the step into the store as it’s quite steep but also, what can I say?! Hands down the best donuts in Fairfield! They are light, fluffy and just plain old good – no wonder they have survived and are still around years and years later. Honestly, you’ll feel like you’re eating a heart attack from the oil but it’s soOoo worth it! I’m salivating just writing about these babies and they’re still so good heated up the next day.

• Food: 4/5
• Price: 4.5/5
• Service: 5/5
• Wait time: 5/5
• Atmosphere: 3/5
• Baby friendly: no

Franks Lebanese Restaurant is a great place for local charcoal chicken. It’s always buzzing with people no matter what time you it is.

Their chicken and chips make the perfect combo to fill you up.

They also give you a side of hot bread and you need to eat it all because it’s so good and who doesn’t love a side of bread?!

• Food: 4/5
• Price: 4/5
• Service: 5/5
• Wait time: 5/5
• Atmosphere: 4/5
• Baby friendly: yes

Star Patisserie hasn’t been around the area as long as some of the above places but it’s definitely one that is to try.

Their selection of cakes and sweets are aesthetically alluring and honestly, it was so hard for me to pick a handful to try (and I say handful so as not to go overboard with the sweets).

• Food: 3.5/5
• Price: 4.5/5
• Service: 5/5
• Wait time: 4/5
• Atmosphere: 3/5
• Baby friendly: no

I’ll leave this post here for now and do a part two otherwise I think you guys will think you’re reading a novel! I don’t want to make my blog posts too long to read and make people lose interest.

Frankiie xX

Happy new year, guys!

I hope you have all started your new year well after the year we had last. I’m sure some of you were grateful to be working from home instead of having to go into the office everyday as well as re-evaluating life and taking more time to spend with your loved ones.

So what did you guys get up to for new years eve? Hubby and I took the fam out to Illuminate at Fairfield Showground. Having lived here pretty much all of my life, I like to stay local and support the community. It was such a fun few hours, kicking off at 5pm and closing the fireworks at close to 10pm so the kiddos could still get home at a decent hour for some sleep. Although the rides and games area did stay on until after that time for those who wanted to stay up longer.

Now I do apologise that there aren’t any food photos in this post as I took them all on my phone. I wanted to get the word out asap on Instagram so if you’re interested in seeing what we ate, visit me @frankiieshungrytummy on IG. We had hot dogs from The Hot Dog Bite, chips on a stick from Mr Kernel, dessert from Ugly J’s Food Truck and some bubble tea.

There were quite a few places to eat at and also free rides for the kids. There was even some face painting which wasn’t limited to only the little ones. But the highlight of the day? Getting up on stage and dancing around to score free Aquatopia tickets (next to the fireworks of course)!

For those who aren’t familiar with Fairfield Showground it’s quite a big area so kids were able to utilise the grass field and run around like crazy. The stage with the entertainment was also very kid friendly, blowing mass amounts of bubbles for tots alike to chase.

As the night went on and got darker, the light show got more traction. Kids and adults were dancing around like crazy, not caring who was watching. My two year old was having a blast – she was waving her glow stick around, dancing to the music like she was at a baby rave. I can honestly say she parties harder than me.

There were even some fire blowers who definitely caught the attention of the crowd! And I have to say that the weather also wasn’t too bad. I was dreading the heat but it was actually quite cool in the spot that they chose to have the event.

When it was time for the fireworks, our lovely Mayor, Frank Carbone took to the stage with his trusty sidekick, Dai Le and counted us in. From then on it was around 20 minutes or so of gorgeous pops of colour and sound.

After that it was home time for us. Trying to get out of the car park wasn’t as much of a nightmare, which was good.

I hope you guys get to come along to the next one! I would love to hear what you did for the countdown.

Frankiie xX