TGI Fridays - American Food North Ryde

TGI Friday’s – originally an American franchise – has opened its first restaurant in NSW at Macquarie Centre, North Ryde. This place is pretty much exactly what you would imagine when you think of American food; deep-fried, lots of meat and burgers. If you’re looking for healthy food, this is not the place for you.

The potato skins (above right) are tasty and I would definitely suggest dipping them in the sour cream that’s provided. There are 10 on a plate, and being potato, it’s quite filling, so I would suggest you only get these is you have a group of people. They’re great if you’re really hungry and want to order something when you sit down to tide you over until the mains come.

We also ordered a plate of the Sesame Jack Chicken Strips (above left), which comes with a Jack Daniels sauce. And yes, Jack Daniel’s flavouring is kind of a theme for this place. Considering how much sauce was already coating the chicken, I didn’t feel the need to use the extra, but the rest of my table thought the added sauce was amazing.

For mains, you’re looking at burgers, fajita’s, quesadilla’s, grill and a few salads and pastas. There are vegetarian options, which one of my group ate and was very please with, but this place is definitely geared more towards meat eaters. 

Minimum spend for a main is $19.95, which is definitely not bad, but I don’t usually pay that much for a burger. I got a Friday’s Cheeseburger (pictured are the remains … because I may have forgotten to take a picture in my hungry state) which was perfectly fine, but nothing special as it doesn’t come with any of the fancy toppings or sauces. Looking back, I wish I had tried one of the others, because the Cheeseburger really was a too little plain. I will however give a shout out to the pickles. They are awesome and I now think all burgers should come with them. The chips were perfectly acceptable, but nothing fancy.

Two of the group went for the Chicken Quesadilla’s and two went for the Jack Daniel’s Salmon that comes with a cheddar cheese mashed potato. I personally dislike the way cheese is added to pretty much everything in American food, but if you’re keen for that American tradition, you’ve come to the right place. They all really enjoyed their food; definitely no complaints there.

We only ordered one dessert and it was shared between four people. The Cookies and Cream Sundae, which looked delicious, is definitely big enough for two people, especially if you’ve had appetisers as well. Come to think of it, all the serving sizes were large. You do get your money’s worth in that sense.

This place is great if you have a group and are keen for some American style food. It’s pretty average on price, certainly not what I would call cheap, but it’s not too pricey. Good food and atmosphere, I’d go there again and just order a bunch of appetisers – those were yummy.

Level 4, Macquarie Shopping Centre (at the entrance where the bus stops are)

Herring Road

North Ryde NSW 2113

02 9888 3440

Jonga Jip - Korean BBQ Epping and Eastwood

Jonga Jip has three locations; two in Eastwood (including the original) and one in Epping. Epping is closer to home, and thus has become our chosen haut. All restaurants are open for lunch and dinner every day of the week, but keep in mind that being right near a train station, parking can be slightly challenging (we ended up parking in the Coles car park). Having said that, if you are looking for somewhere with public transport, all three are a great option.

You don’t have to BBQ at this place, but if you are choosing to, you need to have at least 2 guests, and you have to order at least 2 plates of meat. I think that’s fair enough considering everything they provide you with. Each plate of meat is around $20, and with the many side dishes that accompany your meal, two plates of meat and one bowl of rice between my sister and I was more than enough. Guys would need to order a bit more. 

As soon as we ordered, they started bringing out the mammoth amount of side dishes that accompany our meal. There were 11 side dishes, and these change from day to day. The only standards (as far as I can tell) are cabbage kimchi and mash potato. The bad thing about this is that you don’t always get your favourite side dish eg the cucumber kimchi. I will say that their cabbage kimchi is the I’ve had so far – it's way better than what you buy in a store.

I’ve been here twice in the past week, both times for BBQ, and chose the marinated beef and spicy chicken the first time round, and marinated beef with normal chicken the second time. This was mostly because the spicy chicken was really just too much for me. I can handle heat, but this was the kind of heat where you have to eat it with rice to stop your mouth burning. It was incredibly tasty, but I’m glad we chose the non spicy the second time. The beef was amazing both times and I would definitely recommend it.

We also tried the cold noddles, which were surprising tasty. Admittedly, I probably wouldn’t bother ordering them again at a BBQ place (why eat noodles when I can eat BBQ meat), but they would be great on a hot day if you wanted something filling but cold.

This place is good value, easy to get to and great food.

Jonga Jip Eastwood 1

87 Rowe St

Eastwood, NSW 2122

(02) 9858 5160

Jonga Jip Eastwood 2

13 Railway Pde

Eastwood NSW 2122


(02) 9858 3023

Jonga Jip Epping

10 Bridges St

Epping NSW 2122


(02) 9868 5992

New Shanghai – Chinese Food Chatswood

Written by Aimes.

It may not be that new anymore, but New Shanghai is good every time I go there. The service is quick, the food is fresh and it’s always very tasty. Located in the food court of Chatswood Chase Shopping Centre,
it’s incredibly popular no matter what day of the week it is, so don’t be surprised if you have to wait a little to get a table. Big groups will always have to wait longer, whereas two people are more likely to be immediately seated.

They’ve got a great variety of food there and the prices are what I would consider cheap for a sit down meal. You’re looking at around $10 for a plate of 12 dumplings and $16-20 for a plate of special meat.

They make all kinds of dumplings there including their new range of chicken, beef and lamb to go along side their traditional pork and shrimp variety. I’ve only had the pork ones so far (very yummy and in the picture above), but if you’re keen for something different, give them a go.

The Rainbow Beef (also above) is always a great choice (it's essentially sweet and sour beef), but I would suggest getting that one when there are a few others at your table. One large plate of meat can be a bit overwhelming, so don’t forget to order some veggies and rice.

You can also take your leftovers with you (they charge about 40 cents for each takeaway container you need), so make sure to take anything that you couldn’t finish.

For those who don’t want to wait, you can always walk straight up to the counter and order takeaway. They will take around 15 minutes to give you your food, but you can just grab your takeaway and sit at one of the Westfield food court tables if you can’t wait to eat it elsewhere.

This is one of my regulars in Chatswood for lunch when I’m doing shopping. Quick, cheap and tasty; so much better than the fast food options which surround it.

Chatswood Chase
345 Victoria Ave Chatswood NSW
(02) 9412 3358