Location: Shop 3, 76 Ultimo Rd Sydney
Phone: 02 9212 5661
Price:  Cheap
Service: Pass
Score: 7.25/10

Ate: Oyakodon

Antiblog (ZL):

Kura Kura is upstairs from the original shop, has the Wagaya style iPad
ordering system and way more sitting space.

We used to go to Kura Kura in our Uni days for cheap, fast, tasty food. Not much has changed. Portions may be a little small but generally good enough.

Location: 103 Willoughby Rd Crows Nest
Phone: 02 9906 2956
Price: Cheap
Service: Pass
Score: 7/10

Antiblog (ZL):
We were introduced to this place around 10 years ago by a friend who used to live in Japan.

In our humble but loudly shouted opinion one of the better ramen places in town, tasty and cheap too and no ridiculous lines filled with wannabes.

Good ramen, cooks are middle aged Japanese people, half the diners were middle aged Japanese people, this is an audience that we can trust.

Location: 7A/2 Huntley Street  Alexandria
Price: Cheap/Cheap but not too cheap
Preliminary score: 4/10

Antiblog (ZL):
Call this a pecan pie? We call it failure.
Pastry bordering on stale, pecans and filling uninspiring.

Coffee was decent but we don't score coffee.

We'd be willing to test properly one day (without the 1.5 hour wait)

Location: Shop 3, 76A Archer Street Chatswood Phone: 9411 8766
Price: Cheap/Cheap but not too cheap
Service: Pass
Score: 7/10

Ate: we wish we wrote down the names...
Chilli Chicken stir fry (cooked at/on the table)
Two portions of mixed rice with vegetables to go with the stir fry
Korean egg custard (not pictured)
Fried chicken - half garlic, half normal

Antiblog (ZL):

Slightly expensive because a "whole chicken" isn't that big but we've been here twice and both times the chicken has been crispy on the outside and super succulent on the inside without being KFC oily. The egg custard was good and the other dishes decent but really one orders them to stop ordering 2-3 chickens each. We could eat them but that'd get expensive...

Half of us feel Arisun is slightly better value i.e. bigger chicken and equally (if not as authentically) tasty but if you want verified authentic Korean fried chicken this is the place.

Location: 5 Sydney Road Manly
Phone: 02 9977 6055
Price: Cheap
Service: Pass (it's pretty much takeaway only)
Score: 7.25/10

Ate: Le Coq (chicken burger)
        BenBry Burger and splashed out for Cheddar

Antiblog (ZL):
We were tipped off about this whole in a wall and it paid off.

BenBry's is no nonsense, cheap and tasty. The meat patties are thinner than other burger places but overall the taste here is one of the best in town. Include price in the equation and you may be onto a winner.

Location: 18 Argyle St Sydney
Phone: 02 9247 7785
Price: OK / Slightly high
Service: Pass
Score: 6.5/10

Ate: Pork Knuckle

Antiblog (ZL):

On this sitting the pork knuckle was surprisingly massive and overall tasty. The skin was crispy but it was dry in parts.

Overall it's not bad however we've been many times over the years and find it extremely inconsistent. It's a bit like playing sushi roulette... sometimes you get away well other times you come out crying.
 
For the price we'd probably go somewhere consistently good (but if there were vouchers involved then spin that sushi wheel...)

Location: 5 York Street Sydney Phone: 02 9299 5582
Price: Cheap
Service: Pass
Score: 6.5/10 (7 if you just want pizza)

Ate: 
Salad
Antipasto plate
Pizzas: Italian sausage, magheritta and egg plant and prosciutto 
Pasta: Meat ball, ravioli boscaiola and gnocchi with tomato sauce

Antiblog (ZL):
Taglio has limited dinner opening hours but being based on York St it's understandable since their trade would mostly be during weekday mornings/lunch time.

Pastas weren't very good on this sitting so we'd advise caution, pizzas on the other hand were better than expected and we would go back for pizza if we happened to pass on one of the days it was open.

Location: 1/63A Archer Street Chatswood Phone: 02 9411 3207
Price: Cheap
Service: Pass
Score: 6.75/10

Ate: Pictured, plus char kuay teow (takeaway, rated as OK but not as good as Malaysia)

Antiblog (ZL):
PappaRich has 70 franchises in Malaysia, 2 in Singapore 5 in Melbourne, some in other countries and now one in Sydney. Overall, it's ok, ironically cheap by Sydney standards (see Aside) and decent. The curry chicken which came with a number of the dishes is good, meat soft and tasty. The sambal is probably the best out of Mamak, Malay Village and Nonya (see Roti Challenge for notes on those three) and the dhal is decent too.
 
PappaRich slipped with the nasi lemak and fell on this occassion with the wat tan hor and their roti. The nasi lemak was ok but the rice wasn't the right texture and lacked coconut milk/pandan and a few of the prawns had a slightly odd/undercooked taste (no side effects yet). The wat tan hor was nice for the first couple of bites but then bored us because it lacked depth of flavour and the roti is way too sweet otherwise it would have been a contender to Malay Village. The menu is fairly substantial but all variations on the same theme, Petaling Street has greater variety.

Aside(s):
In Malaysia over the last 7+ years we've noticed a trend of expensive (by Malaysian standards) food in fancy settings and PappaRich is one of those businesses, it's an odd trend in some senses because the food is 1/3 of the price and usually tastier in the mamak/street stalls but perhaps there's no harm in a nice setting, tourist safe food and airconditioning.

We noted the "congratulations" flowers which on a quick glance looked like the Korean style congratulations flowers but we don't get invited to many Malaysian openings so maybe Malaysians give the same style flowers...eitherway we're not eating the flowers so it doesn't matter.

We noted the similarities in name and font for PappaRich and PappaRoti (which we love) and wonder if they have the same owner (apparently not according to a Melbourne blog who has had longer to ponder this question).
To confuse things further it appears there's a PappaRoti in Korea (which may or may not be part of the Malaysian PappaRoti group) that has PappaRich in the USA which makes the buns not the mamak store food. Someone should get the international trademark lawyers involved.

Location: Downstairs at 375Pitt Street Phone: 02 9261 2680
Price: Cheap/Cheap but not too Cheap
Service: Pass
Score: 5/10

Ate: Japchae (potato noodles)
        Seafood Pajeon ("pancake")
        Half original and half sweet and spicy boneless chicken

Antiblog (ZL):
We've walked past this place many times and wondered if it'd be good.

'Disappointed' is how we'd sum up this visit.The seafood pajeon was slightly fried (persoanl preference) but it went downhill from there. The japchae was too  small and boneless chicken was a huge mistake.

If we went back (a big 'if') we would get the version with bones because the boneless chicken was both boneless and chickenless. Despite what others say, Naruone isn't "all that". The coating on the original is good but not vastly better than a well cooked KFC 'hot and spicy' (it does exist - probably not at KFC Town Hall) but the major failing is the sauce on the sweet and spicy version. It is so starchy that on both visits it congealed into a plastic-like substance.
 
Whilst Arisun isn't exactly what you'd get in Korea it is still better (especially garlic soy, their chilli one also) if you're in the City. Visit back later this week, we'll unveil an authentic Korean chicken place.

Location: 197 Military Road Neutral Bay
Price: Cheap
Service: Pass
Score: 7/10

Ate: Pictured

Antiblog (ZL):
They've recently changed the menu and removed our favourite dish (the half sized katsu curry). Most of the other dishes are still there (although you can still orrder curry rice, tonkatsu and combine). Luckily this time we felt like ramen.

For the Shoyu ramen we found the soup slightly salty. Chashu thicker than usual but we appreciate that and it was tasty. Bargain for under $10. The katsu ramen and karaage ramen were both fine.

Overall good, tasty and cheap. Still.