Alrose Garden, Strathfield

• I’ve lost track of how many times I’ve eaten at Alrose Garden.
• It’s a decent place for Korean food, albeit the menu is somewhat limited.
• This doesn’t bother me too much because I’ve pretty much nailed down what I like to eat in the form of their seafood + vegetables + rice cakes dish (the udon variation used to be my go-to until I discovered an appreciation for rice cakes) which packs a decent flavour punch with a kick of chilli.
• There’s also a noodle and dumpling dish that is simple, satisfying and has a homey taste.
• It should be noted that Alrose Garden’s claim to fame (as far I as know) is their chicken schnitzel.
• It’s ginormous and served with an interesting sauce that’s slightly tangy, as well as some rice and greenery.
• The schnitzel is not shabby at all but it’s always hard to tear myself away from the rice cakes.
• Anyway, Alrose Garden is one of my go-to eating places in Strathfield – yummy, reasonably priced, not too cramped and okay service.

Ssong Ga Chicken, Strathfield

•  In my limited repertoire of Korean restaurants, Ssong Ga Chicken’s offering is quite different.
• The restaurant has a scattering of round tables, each with an inbuilt stove/giant hot plate contraption.
• The aforementioned hot plate was filled with vegetables (mainly cabbage), chicken, rice cakes and lots of moderately spicy sauce.
• While the food slowly frolicked in the pan and teased with delectable aromas, the waiter would occasionally stop by to stir things around with two metal spatulas.
• As the cooking continued, the aroma and sauciness of the dish intensified.
• The finale for stage 1 was a scattering of grated cheese before we were able to dig in.
• There were also some side dishes – raw cabbage with a bit of dressing, thinly sliced white radish and pickled onion – that went really well with the main dish.
• Stage 2 commenced when the hot plate was about two-thirds empty.
• Rice topped with some nori strips and a small helping of more vegetables was added to the hot plate and incorporated with the remnants of stage 1.
• The upside to the second stage was that there was no need to wait.
• Though, waiting for a little while did result in some crispy rice forming which was enjoyable.
• I don’t envy whoever had the job of cleaning the hot plates – burnt food bits are bound to be a pain to remove.
• Overall, a filling meal that was tasty and saucy.
• The only thing the dish could have done without was the grated cheese but it wasn’t a big deal as I do quite like cheese in general.