SYDNEY - Kensington Street at Central Park Sydney - First Hawker Centre in Sydney - SPICE ALLEY

Kensington Street

Central Park, Sydney
Sydney's first hawker centre!

Website: http://www.kensingtonstreet.com.au/

Address: Beside Central Park and Sydney Central Train Station

Opening Hours: 7 days from 11am-10pm

CEO and Chairman of Frasers Property Australia - Dr Stanley Quek & Lora

SYDNEY - KENSINGTON STREET - CENTRAL PARK - SPICE ALLEY - Many Asians living in Sydney can now rejoice as a brand new hawker centre named "Spice Alley" has just recently opened right in the heart of Sydney city beside Sydney Central train station and opposite UTS University. Chippendale's major face lift to become a great entertainment and vibrant arts hub was the result of the interesting foresights of Chairman of Frasers Property Australia - Dr Stanley Quek and the Executive Director of Greencliff Realty - Marcus Chang. Tucked away in almost a very "secret location", Kensington Street is a tiny lane alley with terraced shop houses that reminded me of Haji Lane in Singapore. The once forgotten terraces of Kensington Street is now Sydney's vibrant, characterful and creative urban laneway that houses restaurants, cafes, art galleries, innovative shop retailers etc. giving the place new energy, new purpose and new allure.

SYDNEY'S First Hawker Centre - Spice Alley - open 7 days a week - is simply a heaven for foodies as the place reminded me of my favourite hawker centres in Singapore as there were so many popular hawker dishes made available for diners to order. Most importantly, the place was brand new, clean and all the dishes were reasonably priced around AUD$8-$12. Diners can order food over the counter and the food was cooked really fast without long waiting times. Delicious local delights included Roti Prata, Murtabak, Penang Fried Kway Teow, Hokkien Prawn Mee, Wan Tan Mee, Katong Laksa, Chatterbox Chicken Rice, Roast Duck Rice, Crispy Pork Belly Rice, BBQ Satay Sticks, Timsum (prawn dumplings), Fried Crispy Dough Sticks, Congee etc. 

SPICE ALLEY ambience - Tastefully decorated with hanging red and yellow chinese lanterns above our heads, the courtyard filled with wooden tables and chairs provided a relaxing dining atmosphere. Even the cutlery provided were disposable wooden forks, spoons and chopsticks. Unlike most hawker centres where you will leave feeling smelly due to the smoke from cooking, this place was airy with occasional breezes and was exceptionally clean for a hawker centre. The hawkers here were extremely polite and cheerful. One of them even said to me "Enjoy your Meal" when I collected my food. Such impressive customer service! The place was not too crowded, spacious and creatively designed. Everyone was having a good time enjoying the food in the courtyard.

Singaporean chef Alex Lee cooks up a storm in the kitchen

TOP ASIAN CHEFS - Famous Asian chefs such as Alex Lee (ex- Temasek and Ginger and Spice), Uncle Jim (Uncle Jim in Mosman), Old Jim Kee (Hong Kong cuisine expert), Bang Luck (Mama's Buoi) etc. opened their stalls and helped create Spice Alley to become a top dining destination for all Asian food lovers. This place is a must visit if you love and appreciate Asian Hawker style food! Tantalise your taste buds with the wide variety of dishes from the Singapore-Malaysian, Thai, Vietnamese, Hong Kong stalls etc. You will be spoilt for choices! It is casual dining at its best!

FINAL VERDICT - Having tried a wide variety of food during my first visit, I was deeply impressed as all the dishes were authentic and tasted incredibly delicious! Some dishes even taste better than those served back home in Singapore. This place will definitely be my regular place to dine in Sydney! I only wished this place existed earlier so I won't miss Singapore's food so much!

INTERESTING PAYMENT MODES - Kindly note that the hawkers here do not handle cash. Customers are encouraged to purchase a card at the front reception, load it with value before proceeding to the various stalls to order your food. Otherwise, simply present your credit card when ordering for easy payment by using the pay wave function. Hi-tech, efficient and hygienic!

FOLLOW ME ON INSTAGRAM @lorachristellelim

SYDNEY - Chinese New Year Potluck Dinner & Tourmaline's Housewarming Party

SYDNEY - Chinese New Year Potluck Dinner & Tourmaline's Housewarming Party @ One Central Park - We had a small gathering at Tourmaline's new home at One Central Park, Chippendale which is conveniently located opposite UTS. The funny thing was that I was the one who recommended the apartment as I have plans to buy an apartment there but she beat me to it by moving in quickly. One Central Park is a new development by Singapore's FRASERS Property. More info can be found at http://www.centralparksydney.com/

Tourmaline informed me to make salad and I tried my best to make one but the eggs turned out oddly shaped as I think my knife was not sharp enough. I should seriously invest in a proper egg cutter.

Tourmaline made really delicious honey baked Char Siew and Sambal prawns. Claire and Lynn brought egg tarts and a chestnut cake which tasted rather unique. After a delicious dinner and drinks, we started playing Blackjack aka "21" with Lynn's Hello Kitty poker cards. We had a enjoyable time and I won the most money as I was made the banker during the last 3 rounds and luckily I had "Blackjack"! We used real candy sweets as chips but there was one person who was silly enough to eat the candy which immediately became a loss of 50 cents. We were laughing so hard it was hilarious!

Oh yes, earlier in the day I went for a Real Estate Property Seminar at Sofitel Wentworth Hotel and I learned quite a great deal. The big difference between Positive and Negative Cash Flow and how to make money without having to invest your time in exchange for it. It was an entire day seminar by Property Guru - Dymphna Boholt who went from Zero to become a global real estate millionaire with a portfolio of $3.5 million in less than 18 months. More info at http://www.dymphnaboholt.com/

Lora's Sequin Nude dress is newly bought from FOREVER NEW 

My cute Prince Royale wishes all my Blog Readers a Happy and Prosperous New Year of the Horse!

Remember to buy fresh flowers to welcome the freshness of the New Year with abundance and colors!

Lora's Korean white tutu dress is newly bought from Sydney's Chinatown, YSL Clutch & Salvatore Ferragamo heels

On a different day, I also had a small cozy dinner at Wagaya Japanese Restaurant with my girlfriends Lynn and Mei Foong. I guess you can't have Chinese food everyday and after all, sushi is still my favorite!!

♥ Lora Christelle Lim ♥

Like us on our NEW Facebook Page: www.facebook.com/Thesgsisters