Four hot new city restaurants with $15 lunch deals to hit in your break
Winter is upon us, but things are heating up in the CBD, where a clutch of new openings is here to help you resist the urge to hibernate. A Sydney-famous Malaysian chef has made his Melbourne debut. There are three wallet-friendly new lunch options for city workers to get around, and two seafood-centric Japanese diners are on their way.
The hottest new restaurant in town
Since opening the wildly popular Ho Jiak in Sydney, now with four locations, Malaysian-born chef Junda Khoo has been sharing the food of his homeland and challenging expectations of what the cuisine can be. Now he's brought the party to Melbourne, with a three-storey Malaysian mega-venue. The cherry on top is rooftop beer hall Ho Liao (Level 2, Rainbow Alley), which Khoo says has been doing between 600 and 700 covers a day since it opened late last month. 'It's been absolutely wild.'
While the menu might read conventionally, Khoo puts his own spin on things. His signature char kwai teow is 'not traditional, not authentic', with more wok hei than you'd expect. The loh bak (five-spice pork rolls) use fatty pork jowl instead of the more common mince and add prawn mousse to the mix. The rendang curry stars braised wagyu shin for extra flavour.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
ABC News
an hour ago
- ABC News
What the US warning on China means for our defence
Sam Hawley: Donald Trump is demanding America's allies massively boost defence spending. His Defense Secretary, Pete Hegseth, says a Chinese invasion of Taiwan could be imminent. And one of our closest allies, the UK, is rushing to invest billions of dollars in its defence force to make sure it's war-ready. Today Peter Dean from the United States Studies Centre at Sydney Uni, on what that all means for us, and whether our defence force is fit for purpose. I'm Sam Hawley on Gadigal Land in Sydney. This is ABC News Daily. Sam Hawley: Peter, we better start with these comments from the US Defense Secretary, Pete Hegseth, at the Shangri-La meeting in Singapore. He has warned that China poses an imminent threat to Taiwan. Pete Hegseth, US Defense Secretary: To be clear, any attempt by communist China to conquer Taiwan by force would result in devastating consequences for the Indo-Pacific and the world. There's no reason to sugarcoat it. The threat China poses is real and it could be imminent. We hope not, but it certainly could be. Peter Dean: Yes, so Secretary Hegseth I believe is referring to here is comments made by the Chinese leader Xi Jinping and by other members of the Chinese leadership, where Xi Jinping in particular has said that the Chinese military are prepared to use force and to achieve specific capability goals by the dates of 2027 and the dates of 2029. Pete Hegseth, US Defense Secretary: We know, it's public, that Xi has ordered his military to be capable of invading Taiwan by 2027. The PLA is building the military needed to do it, training for it every day and rehearsing for the real deal. Peter Dean: This is about requirements that Xi Jinping has set for the development of the People's Liberation Army and its subsequent Navy and Air Forces as well. So this is about its development of specific capabilities, but also its command and control systems, its ability to conduct exercises and its ability to conduct the types of high-end warfare to undertake, for instance, a strike across the Taiwan Strait. Sam Hawley: So what has China then, Peter, had to say about all of this, that it will imminently attack Taiwan? Peter Dean: Well, I mean, what Xi Jinping has said is that he reserves the right to use force to solve what the Chinese argue is a domestic political issue. They, of course, refer to Taiwan as a rogue state. They don't recognise the democratic system that the Taiwanese people have. And of course, they don't recognise the will of the Taiwanese people, who overwhelmingly identify now as Taiwanese and do not wish to be reunited with the mainland. Sam Hawley: Well, China's foreign ministry does say that the US is overstepping its bounds and stoking flames in the South China Sea in response to those comments from Pete Hegseth. Sam Hawley: Let's consider, Peter, now then China's military build-up and defence spending by Western nations. Now, our Defence Minister, Richard Marles, he also addressed that conference in Singapore, noting that Australia can't rely on the US alone to counter China's military strength in the Indo-Pacific. Richard Marles, Defence Minister: There is no effective balance of power in this region absent the United States, but we cannot leave it to the United States alone. Other countries must contribute to this balance as well, and that includes Australia. Sam Hawley: And he also pointed to that huge military build-up by China. Richard Marles, Defence Minister: What we have seen from China is the single biggest increase in military capability and build-up in a conventional sense by any country since the end of the Second World War. Peter Dean: So I think what Richard Marles is putting out there is basically reaffirming Australia's strategic approach and that this is not just something that we can rely upon the US to do on its own. It doesn't have the requisite levels of capability to respond to China in this way. It must be by a community of nations within the Indo-Pacific. And as a status quo power, Australia and the United States and others are attempting to maintain the free and open Indo-Pacific that we currently have and stop any state from being able to dominate that region and impose a sort of hegemonic control over the Indo-Pacific. Sam Hawley: All right. Well, Donald Trump, of course, and Pete Hegseth have urged US allies in the region to increase their defence spending. They want Australia to raise our contribution to 3.5% of GDP, but let's face it, we are nowhere near that at the moment, and that would cost a lot of money, wouldn't it? Peter Dean: Oh, yes. You're looking in the realm of somewhere around $41 billion additional to go into defence spending to raise that level of money. I think what's really key here is GDP as a measure of defence spending has become a bit shorthand in recent decades for sort of commitment towards defending your own country or contributing to collective defence. There is no magical number that the Australian government can get to that would make our country safe. And if you remember way back when Tony Abbott was vying to become Prime Minister, when Julia Gillard and Kevin Rudd were running the country, then there was a whole debate about achieving 2% of GDP, which we currently have. Now the debate has moved on to is it 3 or 3.5% of GDP. But of course, as I said, most importantly, this number is being used internationally as a proxy by both the Trump administration, but by other states around the world, relative to an individual state's commitment to both its own sovereignty and security, but also the collective defence of the region it lives in. Sam Hawley: Yeah, well, Anthony Albanese says we will determine our own defence policy. And he notes that Australia is on track to lift defence spending to 2.4% of GDP by 2033-34. Anthony Albanese, Prime Minister: We're provided an additional $10 billion of investment into defence over the forward estimates. We're continuing to lift up. That adds up to 2.3% of GDP. Sam Hawley: A long way, as we said, to 3.5% that the Americans actually want. But nations like the UK are now moving more quickly, aren't they, Peter? The British leader, Keir Starmer, he has promised to increase annual spending to 3% up from 2.3%. They seem pretty worried in the United Kingdom. Peter Dean: Yeah, look, the UK government has made a firm commitment to move to 2.5% of GDP in the next couple of years and 3% of GDP in the near future. This is off the back of their strategic defence review. News report: Under the AUKUS security pact with Australia and America, 12 new nuclear-powered submarines will be built to protect Britain's waters. Six new munitions factories will be constructed across the UK and thousands of long-range weapons will be manufactured on British soil. Keir Starmer, UK Prime Minister: We are moving to warfighting readiness as the central purpose of our armed forces. When we are being directly threatened by states with advanced military forces, the most effective way to deter them is to be ready. Peter Dean: Particularly in response not only to the war in Ukraine and the threat from Russia, but of course, most recently from the changing posture of the United States under President Donald Trump. And what we can see there is Keir Starmer, along with Emmanuel Macron from France and other key leaders in Europe, are working assiduously hard to provide for greater defence of Europe based on European needs. Sam Hawley: Well, the British leader Keir Starmer says the UK must be ready to fight a war. Keir Starmer, UK Prime Minister: A battle-ready, armour-clad nation with the strongest alliances and the most advanced capabilities equipped for the decades to come. Sam Hawley: What weaponry does he want? Peter Dean: Well, what Keir Starmer has announced is that he wishes the UK military to field a force of at least 7,000 long-range missiles. Now, if you look at what's happening in the war in Ukraine in particular, but also the war in Gaza and the Houthi attacks on shipping in the Red Sea, what you've seen is the explosion of the use of long-range precision fires in each of those conflicts. Sam Hawley: Well, the UK plans to pay for all of this by, in part, cutting international aid, just to note that. What's it really worried about then? Is it just Russia or does China come into this as well for the UK? Peter Dean: Look, I think it's both. I mean, what we're seeing is a fundamental changing of the strategic order of the world that we live in. The world is becoming much more dangerous. As our own government has said, we live in the most perilous times. We're seeing the rise of revisionist powers, in particular China, Russia, Iran and North Korea. And of course, the Russian illegal and immoral invasion of Ukraine has been really at the centre of this. This is the first time since the end of the Second World War that Europe has seen a large major power conduct a full-on invasion of another state in Europe. That is an ongoing war, as we see today. And it looks like President Trump's efforts at brokering a peace deal are faltering at the moment. So that war is going to continue on. Sam Hawley: And the concern is, of course, that if Putin succeeds in Ukraine, he has other plans after that, right? Peter Dean: Well, exactly. And Putin, again, I think we need to actually believe what the rhetoric is coming out of some of these leaders from some of these states. I mean, Putin made it very clear in the lead up to the war in Ukraine that he believes that Ukraine shouldn't exist as a sovereign state, that it belongs as a part of a revitalised Russian empire that he sees. And he committed similar acts in states such as Georgia and other parts. And of course, in Ukraine itself, where he conducted limited incursions. And of course, what we see in the South China Sea and the East China Sea is ambient claims from China that are not recognised by international courts or international law. And the Chinese consistently using coercion military force against the Philippines, against Vietnam, against Indonesia, against Taiwan and against Japan in various parts of those seas to push their own sovereign claims, even though they are not recognised in the international community and not recognised by those other states. And of course, we add in the layer here of the cyber domain and cyber dimension, that while we're largely in strategic competition with these states across the globe in areas such as cyber, we're in day to day limited conflict as we receive an onslaught of assaults in the cyber domain from states such as North Korea, Iran, China and Russia. Sam Hawley: All right, well, Peter, as you say, we're living in a less stable world. But what do you think is our approach when it comes to defence, the right one? Are we war ready like the UK wants to be? And if we're not, do we actually need to be? Peter Dean: I think we're definitely not war ready at the moment. If you look at the Defence Strategic Review in 2023, it made it really clear that the ADF was not fit for purpose. The government is in the process of lifting defence spending to try and achieve some of the outcomes that were set. We don't have 10 years anymore to wait to prepare our forces. Now, what's been happening in Australia has been a long discussion in recent years over the requisite levels of defence spending. This was happening well before Donald Trump was elected for his second term of office. And if you look back to last year, you'll see some very eminent commentators and experienced people in this debate, people such as Sir Angus Houston, the former chief of Defence Force and one of the two independent leads of the Defence Strategic Review, former Secretary Dennis Richardson, former Labor leader Kim Beazley, former Home Affairs Secretary Mike Pezzullo, have all called for increasing of defence spending to around about three percentage of GDP on defence. So this is a national debate that's been happening for quite a while. And now it's become much more direct, given that our US alliance partner has directly made the request to Australia to increase defence spending. Sam Hawley: All right, and what about this imminent threat that Pete Hegseth talks about that China will invade Taiwan soon? If that was the case, and we're not saying that it is, of course, but what would that mean for us? Peter Dean: This would mean you have the two largest economies in the world going toe to toe militarily with each other across the Taiwan Strait and in East Asia. It would always inevitably suck in states like Japan and Korea and Australia and others. And in all the estimates we have, not only would it be the extreme loss of life that would occur by the states involved in the conflict, you would spiral the global economy into a major recession, if not depression. You're talking about the most dynamic economic region in the world being consumed by conflict. And we will be putting ourselves in the risk not just of a global economic recession and a major war, but of course, we're talking about a war here between major nuclear armed states. The government's not wrong when it says we live in this really dangerous strategic age. And of course, Donald Trump is not helping that, right? He's not helping stability and security. He's, you know, in many senses, creating a source of additional instability in the global strategic order. Sam Hawley: Peter Dean is the director of foreign policy and defence at the United States Study Centre at the University of Sydney. This episode was produced by Sydney Pead. Audio production by Adair Sheppard. Our supervising producer is David Coady. I'm Sam Hawley. ABC News Daily will be back again on Monday. Thanks for listening.
The Age
3 hours ago
- The Age
Coffee, tea or butter-washed cold brew? What going out for breakfast means in 2025
When Australians go overseas, it usually sparks a lightbulb moment: we take our morning routines seriously. While many other cities sleep, in Australia we're seizing the day with run clubs and coffee, or stopping at our favourite cafe for babycinos and a shared croissant en route to school and work. Weekend brunch tables are booked well ahead. People's devotion to their daily cafe visit borders on spiritual. There are more than 100 of these cornerstones of our social lives gathered in Good Food's Essential Melbourne Cafes and Bakeries 2025, presented by T2 and published today. The guide celebrates the people and places that shape our excellent cafe and bakery scenes and includes more than 100 venues reviewed anonymously across 10 categories, including icons, those best for food, tea, coffee and matcha, and where to get the city's best sweets, sandwiches and baked goods. These reviews live on the Good Food app, and can be discovered on the map. Loading Skimming the list it's clear that, even if cafes are quintessential, they're far from standard-issue these days. Thick slabs of tamago (the firm Japanese omelette) are almost as likely as swirls of scrambled eggs. Rice and flatbread jostle for space with sourdough. Shades of purple, green and pink are seen in drinks and on pastries. 'Brunch and coffee have always been a significant part of Melbourne culture and the pride of every Melburnian,' says Tuan To, co-owner of Amara in Seddon, which he opened in April with a Vietnamese-skewed all-day menu. 'I thought why not bring [together] the two and create something new yet familiar.' Amara's signature dish might be a steel pan of runny-yolked eggs with pâté, sweet stir-fried beef and pickles. The crusty baguette on the side can turn it into a banh mi-esque experience.
Sydney Morning Herald
3 hours ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
Sydney's best matcha and bubble tea
Sponsored Eating outEssential cafes and bakeries The boundary-pushing new-wave cafes transforming the way we think about tea. Brought to you by T2 , register or subscribe to save recipes for later. You have reached your maximum number of saved items. Remove items from your saved list to add more. Save this article for later Add articles to your saved list and come back to them anytime. As featured in Good Food's Essential Sydney Cafes and Bakeries of 2025, presented by T2. See all stories. A growing number of Sydney cafes are specialising in neither tea nor coffee. Rather, it's a special third thing. This category celebrates all the forward-thinking cafes turning tradition on its head by serving express-brewed teas covered in cream-cheese foam; milky lattes whisked with hojicha; and pink-hued French Earl Grey in hot chocolate, with fairy floss. You'll find matcha and its many variations here. Yes, matcha is rooted in centuries of Chinese and Japanese tradition, but it stands apart from loose-leaf green tea due to its significant uptake in Sydney over the past two years. Harnessed for both its health and aesthetic properties, matcha has become synonymous with new-wave cafes, which serve it swirled with strawberry jam, whisked into cheesecakes and layered with thick milk foam. Want to know more? Read on for Sydney's best places to drink matcha and other specialty drinks. It's part of Good Food's Essential Sydney Cafes and Bakeries of 2025. Presented by T2, the guide celebrates the people and places that shape our excellent cafe and bakery scenes and includes more than 100 venues reviewed anonymously across 11 categories, including icons, those best for food, tea and coffee, and where to get the city's best sweets, sandwiches and baked goods. (These reviews also live on theGood Food app, and are discoverable on the map.) 1 / 4 Matcha latte and matcha muffin at Cre Asion, located in North Sydney (pictured) and Pyrmont. Dion Georgopoulos 2 / 4 Cafe Cre Asion, North Sydney. Dion Georgopoulos 3 / 4 Matcha is used to make a variety of baked goods at Cafe Cre Asion in North Sydney. Dion Georgopoulos 4 / 4 Cafe Cre Asion, North Sydney Dion Georgopoulos Cre Asion Step through the sheer curtains at Cre Asion to discover a pioneering matcha oasis in North Sydney, where the highest grade of this beautifully bitter Japanese tea has been whisked into specialty drinks and desserts since 2011. Japandi-style wood benches line the wall, facing glass pastry cabinets filled with verdant matcha green: fluffy swiss rolls, crumbly thick cookies and springy chiffon cake — also available in a nutty hojicha (roasted green tea) flavour with savoury azuki (red bean) cream. Good to know: Peruse the shelves for ceremonial-grade matcha powder and whisks. Multiple locations, Takeaway tea and strawberry matcha at Bubble Nini in Waterloo. Bubble Nini The cutesy aesthetic of this Sydney-born cafe chain might not be for everyone, but there's substance behind the library facade at the Zetland flagship. Teas are visually striking, varied (with options like premium green, jasmine and oolong), brewed to order and bright with flavour. The boba are the best part: preservative-free and made daily, infused with fresh ingredients like cherry blossoms, fresh fruit and strawberry jam. Must order: Ready to lean into the cute? Pair your hazy peach milk tea with a jiggly pudding cat. Multiple locations, Fruit toasts at Chubby Cubby. Chubby Cubby Cafe If Good Food presented an award for the biggest slice of banoffee, this calming hangout on busy George Street would most likely claim the trophy. Chubby rocks a range of extra-large fruit-covered shokupan toasts too, but we're most keen for the matcha latte crowned with thick whipped einspanner cream. Best for: Working on your laptop with matcha and cheesecake as writing fuel. 810 George Street, Haymarket, Mamuki's mango matcha smoothie. Nick Moir Mamuki Bake Bar Strawberry matcha lattes are all well and good, but how about a mango matcha smoothie at this Enmore Road newcomer? Green tea powder colour-boosts everything here, from the pastry cabinet's ace banana bread to the many Instagram-optimised drinks whisked to order. This cafe's robust stocks of matcha are drawn from three suppliers and working directly with Japanese farmers. Must order: The Matcha Cloud layered with coconut water and velvety foam. 147 Enmore Road, Enmore, Oriental Jasmine tea is the specialty at Molly Tea. Molly Tea Molly is a new kid on the burgeoning specialty tea scene block that is Burwood Road. The Chinese chain, founded in Shenzen in 2020, is recognisable for its pastel pink aesthetic, strong jasmine tea fragrance, and high-tech automated brewing equipment. Touch screens make ordering easy, explaining unexpectedly delicious blends such as the floral and refreshing 'pistachio jasmine coco' (green tea with coconut water and pistachio cream-cheese foam). Good to know: Molly has developed its own signature straw, three tiny tubes fused together, for better sipping. 192 Burwood Road, Burwood, Matcha everything at Moon & Back, Rosebery. Moon and Back Matcha meets innovation in this industrial-minimalist cafe beneath a modern apartment building in Rosebery. This is where you'll find ceremonial-grade matcha from the renowned Uji growing region in Kyoto, served with dainty skewers of house-made dango (chewy rice flour dumplings) or whipped into creamy clouds atop coconut water or milk. Cold brew coffee gets a floral flourish with jasmine, maple syrup and milk foam in the signature 'Kumo' drink. Best for: Appeasing your sweet-tooth on a solo date. 7/2 Crewe Place, Rosebery, Sneaker Laundry at Martin Place. Sneaker Laundry Lab This underground triple-threat sells specialty concoctions of coffee and matcha alongside grab-and-go Japanese-ish meals, all while sprucing up your dirty sneakers. Drop your shoes off and pick up a freshly whisked matcha with zesty yuzu, or served cold and milky with a 'cloud' of nutty kinako (roasted soybean powder) foam. There's no seating in the '00s-futurist space, but the fridge is stocked with onigiri from local master Oniballs in flavours including nasi lemak. Good to know: Spilled your matcha? Sneaker Laundry sells a great stain removing marker. Basement Level 3, 2 Elizabeth Street, Sydney, High-pressure tea brewing equipment at Tea & Co, Burwood. Tea & Co Take a seat on the polished concrete bench as you watch the espresso machines rasping with steam as they pressure-brew tea leaves to order. Within a minute or two the automated Big Brother voice booms out your order number, and there it is: a supersized (no, there aren't smaller sizes) 'snowy mountain osmanthus oolong fresh milk tea'. Translated: cold oolong tea with milk and cream cheese foam, or liquefied dessert for grown-ups. Good to know: Want some coffee with your tea? Tea & Co offers a specialised blend of the two. 1/180-186 Burwood Road, Burwood, Tea Republic This is no ordinary bubble tea spot. It's a light-filled space where baristas brew to order with freshly ground leaves and health-forward ingredients such as oats and coconut jelly. The fun is in choosing your tea and toppings: osmanthus to golden sencha; honey pearls to mini mocha. Tweak your ice level, sweetness and temperature, too, and enjoy your latest creation at the drink-in Mascot location. Must order: Roasted milk with all-combination toppings. Multiple locations, T Totaler, Sydney. T Totaler Husband and wife Amber and Paul Sunderland launched their premium Australian-grown tea brand in 2012 with the aim of changing the public perception of what tea could be. Now, they have 30 blends at their tiny flagship, which acts as a retail shop and peddler of the fabulous tea creations favoured by restaurants including two-hatted Bennelong. Bestsellers include a peppery masala chai and refreshing tea negroni cocktail. Must order: The signature French Earl Grey hot chocolate topped with Persian fairy floss. The Galeries, 500 George Street, Sydney, Good Food's Essential Sydney Cafes and Bakeries of 2025, presented by T2, celebrates the people and places that shape our excellent cafe and bakery scenes and includes more than 100 venues reviewed anonymously across 11 categories, including icons, those best for food, tea, coffee and matcha, and where to get the city's best sweets, sandwiches and baked goods. Download the Good Food app from the Apple App Store or the Google Play Store to discover what's near you. Restaurant reviews, news and the hottest openings served to your inbox. Sign up
